Who Would Have Thought?
by Baley
Summary: Brooke and Haley have been secretly seeing each other for a month. They knew they couldn't keep their relationship a secret forever. Slowly, people start to find out and they have to deal with the consequences. BrookeHaley, hints of PeytonTaylor. Complete
1. Beach Like Fun

Disclaimer: I think that you know that I own nothing. If I did, do you honestly think that I'd be wasting my time writing fanfiction? Didn't think so. I would love to own all the actors and characters on the show. I'd love Chad like their was no tomorrow and I'd certainly give James something for that acne problem he has going. That's right, I said it! What? Lol  
  
..........WWHT..........  
  
Brooke Davis walked into the Tutoring Center and spotted Haley sitting at one of the tables, a book open in front of her. She smiled as she sauntered over to her table. There was a few odd looks thrown her way, many people were surprised to see the one and only Brooke Davis, the most popular girl at Tree Hill High, in the Tutoring Center, nerd central. The girls gave her a dirty look and the boys shifted nervously in their seats. Brooke was oblivious to it all, her full attention on the girl in front of her.  
  
"Hey, Sexy," Brooke greeted her. She frowned when Haley didn't respond. It wasn't until she saw Haley move her head that she realized she had headphones on. She smiled as she knocked on the table to get the girl's attention. Haley was startled at the sound and looked up to see Brooke's smiling face. A smile soon graced her face as well. "I said 'Hey, Sexy'."  
  
"Hey, Beautiful," Haley greeted back. She turned off her Walkman and took of the headphones, laying them on the table in front of her, before closing her book to show Brooke that she was done her studying. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but what are you doing here? I told you I had to meet with the new person I'm supposed to be tutoring." Brooke's face lit up.  
  
"That would be me," she told her. Haley's eyes widen and she tried to look mad, but couldn't stop a smile from breaking through. "I wanted to surprise you. Now that you don't have anyone to tutor, you can come and hang with me." She wiggled her eyebrows in a comical way, trying to be suggestive. Haley laughed.  
  
"Sounds like much more fun than hanging around here," she commented. She pulled up her bag to put it on her the table. She gathered her things and piled them into her bag before standing up. Brooke grinned as she slid Haley's hand in with her's and walked out the door.  
  
..........WWHT..........  
  
Haley looked around at all the other teenagers that were hanging out at the beach. She recognized most of the people from school and the people she didn't know, she assumed were from out of town. She smiled when she spotted Brooke making her way over to her with two Popsicles in her hands. Brooke grinned at her as she plopped down beside Haley on the towel they are sharing. She handed Haley her Popsicle.  
  
"Thanks, Tigger," Haley said sweetly, her voice sweeter as she pronounced Brooke's nickname.  
  
"No problem, baby," Brooke replied in a voice that was equally as sweet as the other girl's. She leaned back on her elbows to do some people watching. Haley watched Brooke out of the corner of her eye. She was trying to decide what Brooke was looking at, but couldn't tell because of the dark glasses she had on. Haley followed to where she thought Brooke's gaze was and frowned when she saw a group of girls.  
  
"So," she began, trying to distract Brooke from the group of girls in their bikinis. "Did you want to do something tonight?" Brooke noticed the insecurity in her voice the moment she opened her mouth. She hated it when Haley got like this. She was constantly getting down on herself, thinking that she wasn't good enough. Brooke sighed and pushed her glasses to rest on the top of her head. She turned to look at Haley. The sudden movement startled the girl.  
  
"Baby," Brooke began. "All those other girls, they are nothing compared to you. I know every single one of them and they have nothing on you." She laid a hand on Haley's bare thigh. "You are the only girl for me, you understand?" Haley nodded reluctantly.  
  
"I get that," Haley said. "It's just that... look at them. They are perfect and I'm just me." Brooke shook her head.  
  
"You are more beautiful then they could ever be," Brooke argued. "How many times do I have to tell you that?" Haley didn't say anything and Brooke smiled. "Good. Now that that's out of the way, what do you say we go swimming?"  
  
"I say bring it on," Haley answered as she dropped her Popsicle and ran towards the water. Brooke took a moment to admire the view before she ran after her. They both giggled as Brooke tackled Haley in the water and they started up a water fight.  
  
They spent the next hour playing and enjoying their time together. Neither of them would have guessed the drama that would ensue as their friends and family discovered the secret they had kept so well hidden for the past month.  
  
..........WWHT..........  
  
TBC?  
  
You tell me. I know that there aren't any other fics in the One Tree Hill section apart from a couple with Haley/Peyton pairings. I've always loved their scenes together, they have so much chemistry together, I just thought I'd give it a shot. If you don't like the idea of them together then that's cool, but I would like it if you didn't flame my work like someone did with the Haley/Peyton story. Thanks, and tell me what you think. Bye. 


	2. Riding In Cars With Girls

_Author's Note:_ Hi, everyone. I just realized that I had the thing on that said that I didn't accept anonymous reviews, but I fixed that so if you aren't a member and want to tell me what you think, you can do that now, but please no flames. If you don't like it, just don't read it. There is no need to be harsh for no reason. Anyway, I'd like to thank those who did review, they were all positive and very appreciated. Anyway, I guess that's all there is to say for now.

**...WWHT...**

Haley James smiled as she felt her girlfriend squeeze the hand she was holding. She had never felt so excepted, so loved, in her whole life. She always felt that way when she was around Brooke. She figured that she would always feel self-conscience being around someone that was so beautiful, but she felt the complete opposite. Whenever she was feeling down about herself, it was always Brooke that reassured her that she was beautiful. She never felt anything less than perfect when she was around the perky girl that she could call her own.

"So, what did you wanna do tonight?" she asked her, as they approached Brooke's silver car. The top was down so Brooke just threw their beach stuff in the backseat. It wasn't much, just a towel and some sunscreen; they were still clad in the bikinis. At first Haley had insisted on putting something on over it, a shirt or at least some shorts, but Brooke had insisted that everyone got to see what an amazing body she had. Haley just couldn't resist. She sadly unlocked their hands so she could make her way over to her side of the car. They both opened their respective doors and hopped in.

"I was thinking about taking you roughly on the floor of my bedroom," Brooke replied back. Haley smirked; she knew she was only joking. Haley, surprising enough had remained true to her beliefs and is still a virgin. Brooke respected what Haley wanted, even though she certainly didn't feel the same way, having lost her virginity a long time ago.

"Funny, Tigger," Haley laughed. She knew that Brooke would never pressure her to have sex if she wasn't ready. Brooke had said when they first starting going out that she would wait for her, but Haley couldn't help but think that Brooke was starting to get frustrated. "Look, I know it can't be easy for you. Your past relationships have always had a sexual side and I'm sorry that I can't give that to you right now." Brooke shook her head and laid a single finger on her lips to stop her apologies.

"No, baby," Brooke began. "You and me? What we have is so much more than that." She let her hand fall to Haley's lap and she took her hands in her's. "I told you before and I'll tell you as many times as you need to hear it; I'll wait for you. I'd wait forever for you." Brooke gave her a sweet look; sticking out her bottom lip and giving her the puppy dog eyes. Haley soon broke out into a smile.

"You know it's really hard to resist kissing you when you look like that," Haley commented, trying to fight the urge to press her lips up against the cheerleaders.

"I know, baby," Brooke comforted. She knew that Haley's comments were much more deep than what they were currently talking about. Haley shook her head.

"It's not fair," she whined. "Look around." She gestured to all the happy couples around them that were in full on PDA mode. "How come they are free to be all lovie dovie in public and we have to keep it locked up in our houses, like it's something wrong? I mean, am I wrong to feel that it's not fair? Is it just me?"

"I know exactly what you're talking about, Hales." Brooke looks around at them all and is filled with the sadness that she's always felt when watching happy couples. She hated knowing the fact that they could never be that way. Even if they ever came out, it still wouldn't be accepted and she knew that. She could live with it, even if it was living unhappily. "I wish the whole world could know how I feel about you, but you know that can't happen, right?" Haley nodded her head.

"I know that, babe, I really do," Haley assured her. "But that doesn't make it hurt any less to see them. It just kills me to know that we can never be like that, we have to hid it." She searched her brain for the right way to explain how she was feeling. "It just makes me feel... I don't know, dirty some how. Like I'm doing something wrong." Brooke, try as she might, couldn't stop the hurt look from crossing her face. Haley noticed it and was quick to continue. "Not that we are, I know that we aren't. It's just that, if something can make me feel this good, it's gotta be wrong, you know?" Brooke had to laugh; she just couldn't not smile at that.

"Baby," she laughed. "That's the best kind of wrong." Secretly, she had been having the same doubts as her, but she knew how Haley could get. She didn't want her to think she was having doubts about them, as a couple, so she just pushed them to the back of her mind. She plastered a big smile on her face and pushed her sunglasses down over her eyes. "We ready to go?"

"Yeah," Haley replied. She turned in her seat and clipped her seatbelt into place. She spotted an extra pair of sunglasses on the dashboard and put them on.

"Oh, baby, do you ever look hot in my glasses," Brooke commented in a voice Haley thought only horny teenage boys could use, but apparently she was wrong.

"How?" Haley questioned, fiddling with the arm of said glasses. "They're just glasses?"

"Trust me, Hales," she sighed. "You can make anything look hot. It's like this amazing super power or something."

"I think I should store that away for future reference." Haley grinned at the lusty look that came across her girlfriend's face. "Like maybe for later tonight, which you still haven't told me about yet."

"God, can't a girl surprise her girlfriend?" she moaned dramatically. Haley smiled at what she said. Brooke raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at her expression. "What?"

"You called me your girlfriend," Haley pointed out, her smile getting bigger as she repeated what was just said. After all the drama that they had been through over the past month, dancing around that very word, she couldn't help but smile every time Brooke said it now. "I love it when you call me that."

"Well, girlfriend of mine," Brooke repeated, enjoying saying it just as much as Haley loved hearing it. "I'm glad you enjoy it, cause I kind of like you."

"Really?"

"In an 'I love you' sort of way." Haley giggled like a child who just learned how to ride a bike for the first time. It wasn't like it was the first time Brooke had told her that, but it was still new enough that she got excited. She looked around quickly and made a spur of the moment decision, leaning over and giving Brooke a quick, but blissful kiss. Brooke had a smirk on her face when Haley pulled away. "Your lips? They're heaven."

"I love you, too," Haley said, blushing at the last statement. Brooke winked at her before starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot.

**...WWHT...**

I guess I'm done for now. I hope you guys still like it. Please tell me if I should continue. Thanks for reading. Bye.


	3. Visit From Blondie

_Author's Note:_ Hey, I'm back. I'm glad that you all like my story and think you for not flaming it. I'm actually surprised to find the you all like it because there isn't any other ones on here like this, so I was afraid you wouldn't like it. Anyways, I'm really glad you do, and I'll hurry up and get on with the story.

**...WWHT...**

Brooke smiled at all the boys that were staring at Haley when she got out of the car. She loved it when people stared at Haley, it made her feel special. All these other people wanted Haley, but only she got the privilege to have her. She also hoped that Haley confidence would be boosted by all the attention. Brooke shook her head, not knowing how Haley could think she is anything less than beautiful. That always bothered her.

Deciding not to give it anymore thought, Brooke got out of the car too and smiled even bigger when the boys stared at her too. They certainly were a hot pair that seemed to attract attention wherever they went. She closed her door and walked around the car to Haley's side. She slid her hand in with Haley's and walked into the Café. She was glad when she found that there weren't many people around. They spotted Karen at the counter and walked over to her.

"You two look happy," Karen pointed out, still smiling from when she saw them come in. "How are the two lovebirds today?"

"We're good," Haley answered with a smile. She was so happy that they had decided to tell Karen that they were together. She was glad that they were able to act normal around someone. "We just got back from the beach."

"I can see that," Karen teased, indicating the bikinis the girls still had one. Haley blushed, having forgotten that she wasn't wearing much. "Did you have fun?"

"Oh, yeah," Brooke said, getting up on one of the stools which forced Haley to do the same. "I always have fun when I'm with my Hales." Karen gave them a warm smile.

"She is a very fun girl," Karen commented. She had to admit that when she first found out about them, she was a bit uneasy at the idea, not too sure if they were really serious about each other. It didn't take them very long to convince her that they were happy and Karen soon realized that they were very much in love. As long as Haley was happy, that's all she could ever want. She snapped out of her thoughts when she saw that the girls were staring at her. "So, what are you girls doing tonight?"

"I wouldn't know," Haley complained, pretending to be mad. That couldn't be farther from the truth. She knew that if Brooke planned it, it certainly wouldn't be boring. Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on," Brooke whined. "I know you're excited to find out what I'm gonna do."

"Maybe a little," Haley admitted. Brooke was about to give Haley a kiss when they heard the door open. The girls quickly pulled apart and unclasped their hands. Karen felt a pang for sadness when she saw the sad looks cross both the girl's faces. She thought they should be able to be themselves, but she knew that nothing good could come from it. She knew how people could be and she didn't want Haley to have to be subjected to that.

"There you are," Peyton called, spotting the girls at the counter. She stopped up short when she saw both Brooke and Haley together, and judging by the way they were dressed, they had been together the whole day. "Both of you? Together?" Brooke turned around, a fake smile already put in place, but Haley remained in her position, her back to the blonde.

"Hales and I just went to the beach," Brooke informed her best friend as if it were nothing. She understood why Peyton would be surprised; her and Haley were never really the best of friends. Peyton raised an eyebrow as she walked up to the counter to join them.

"Since when do you do that?" she asked, sitting on the other side of Haley. She noticed that Haley looked upset. "You okay Hales?"

"Yeah," Haley sighed. She used all the energy she could muster and put a smile in place of her frown. She lifted up her head, hoping to sound more convincing. "Everything's cool." Haley could tell that the blonde didn't believe her. "So, which one of us were you looking for?"

"Either of you," Peyton answered, still not convinced of her friend's fineness, but deciding to let it go for now. Brooke quickly intervened before Peyton could push her any further.

"Well, it looks like you found us," she pointed out. "What did you want us for?"

"I just wanted to know if either of you wanted to go see a movie tonight?" she asked. "Or both of you, I guess." Haley and Brooke both looked at each other. Brooke gave Haley a sad look that told her they would have to get a rain check for the surprise she had planned for tonight. Haley nodded, disappointedly and Brooke looked back up at Peyton who had been watching the exchange.

"Sure," she answered in the perky voice that was expected of her. "Sounds like fun. What movie did you have in mind?"

"I don't know," Peyton shrugged. She looked at Haley, who had gone back to avoiding eye contact. "Is there any movie you wanted to see, Hales?" Haley quickly thought of the first movie that came to mind that they might be remotely interested in.

"Um, there's that Lindsay Lohan movie."

"Oh, Mean Girls," Brooke cheered. "I wanted to see that."

"I wonder why?" Peyton teased, thinking that Brooke wanted to see the hot boy that was playing the boyfriend. Brooke's eye grew wide when she remember that off the cuff remark she had made after seeing the preview for it. She had said the guy was hot, but she was just trying to sound as natural as she could.

"Anyway," Brooke began, trying to steer the conversation away from her and her supposed like for hot boys. "What time did you wanna meet? "

"I think there's an eight o'clock show," Peyton answered, remembering what the paper had said. "So we should be there by seven thirty, I guess."

"Sounds like a plan." Peyton checked her watch.

"Oh, man," she complained, surprised at the time. "I have to go. Gotta get home for my weekly talk with dad." She slid off the stool and stood up. "See you later, guys." With one last wave at Karen who was serving a customer, she was out the door. Brooke let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. She turned to Haley and pouted at her.

"I'm sorry, baby," she whined. She scooted over so she was closer to her girlfriend. She wrapped an arm around her waist and laid another one on Haley's thigh. She laid her head on Haley's shoulder. "I was really looking forward to our night alone, too." Haley rested her head on top of Brooke's.

"I hate lying to her, Tigger," Haley sighed.

"I know, baby."

"She's our friend, don't you think she should know?" She moved out of Brooke's embrace. "I think we should tell her tonight at the movies." She saw the look Brooke was giving her. "If she's really our friend, don't you think she'll be happy for us?"

"I don't know, sweetie," Brooke admitted. She had always been afraid to tell Peyton. Her heart was telling her that Peyton was her best friend and that she would be there for them no matter what, but her head was telling her that there was a very big chance that Peyton may not accept them. "What happens if we tell her and she doesn't accept us? That could really put a strain on our relationship. I just don't wanna risk it."

"That's what you said before we told Karen," Haley replied. "And look how that turned out."

"I'll think about it," was Brooke final answer. Haley knew that she wasn't going to get a better answer than that at the minute and nodded.

"Thank you," she said, giving her a quick peck on the lips. Brooke smiled.

"I'll really think about it," she repeated, hoping to get some more. Haley laughed at her and pulled away.

"Don't push it," Haley warned. Brooke pouted, but Haley ignored her and went behind the counter to get something for them to eat.

**...WWHT...**

I'm done. Tell me what you think. Bye.


	4. Not So Perfect Date

_Author's Note:_ Hey, I'm back. I'm glad that you all like my story and think you for not flaming it. I'm actually surprised to find the you all like it because there isn't any other ones on here like this, so I was afraid you wouldn't like it. Anyways, I'm really glad you do, and I'll hurry up and get on with the story.

**...WWHT...**

Brooke's stomach clenched when she stopped her car. She had to take a few deep breathes before getting out. She was on the verge of throwing up. The very thought of telling her best friend that she was not only gay, but also in love with Haley was making her light headed.

On one hand, she really wanted to tell the blonde that they were together because she too hated to lie to her and she felt bad hiding something so wonderful from her. On the other hand, she was terrified that Peyton wouldn't be able to accept this and she wouldn't just lose her best friend, but she was afraid it would ruin her relationship with Haley.

She flexed and unflexed her hands, trying to release some of the stress she felt. She grabbed her purse and made her way over to her girlfriend who waiting on the curb for her. She was about to take her hand, but realizing what it might look like she decided to link her arm with Haley's instead.

Haley seemed to be calm and cool on the outside, but the same things were going through her mind as the things going through Brooke's. She desperately wanted to believe that Peyton would be okay with them, but she knew that there was a very big chance she would reject them and Haley wasn't sure she would be able to deal with that. She promised herself that no matter what anyone said about them, she wasn't going to let it affect the way she felt about Brooke, but she also knew that it probably would. They reached the ticket booth and Haley pulled out her wallet.

"No, no," Brooke said. "Since I didn't get to give you that amazing night I had planned, I'm paying for this." Haley was about to argue, but stopped when she saw the look on Brooke's face. She sighed and put her wallet back in her purse. Brooke turned to the ticket lady.

"What can I get you girls?"

"Uh, we'll have two tickets for the eight o'clock showing of Mean Girls," Brooke ordered. The lady nodded her head and began to get he tickets. Brooke saw the total on the register and handed her the money. The lady handed them the tickets.

"Enjoy the movie." They nodded and made their way towards the concession stand. They stopped before they reached the line.

"Did you want anything, baby?" Brooke asked. She certainly didn't want anything, her stomach was already in knots and she didn't think she'd be able to hold it down.

"I think it would be a waste of money," Haley answered in a worried tone. Brooke laid a hand on Haley's stomach and rubbed it. Haley smiled sadly at her, thanking her for her efforts. "Good try, Tigger."

"I try," Brooke replied. She looked around, but didn't see Peyton away. "I don't think Peyton's here yet, do you wanna go get some seats?"

"Sure," Haley said quietly. She didn't know if she was happy that the blonde wasn't or not. They still hadn't decided whether they were going to tell her before the movie or after. They began walking towards the theater their movie was in.

"Tickets, please," the usher asked. Brooke handed him their tickets and her ripped them. "The movie should start in about ten minutes." They walked through the door and entered the darkened theater. Before they could begin to look for seats, they heard someone calling them.

"Brooke, Hales!" Peyton called them from her seat. "Over here." The girls unhooked their arms and made their way over to where their friend was. They slipped through a few teenyboppers that were also sitting in the row and finally reached the blonde. Brooke took the seat beside Peyton and Haley sat beside her.

"When did you get here?"

"About five minutes ago," Peyton answered, taking a sip of her drink before putting it back in the cup holder. "Figured I'd get us seat before all the little brats took the good ones."

"Good idea."

"Did you guys come together?" she asked. This was all a little weird for her. For as long as she could remember, Brooke and Haley had never said more than two nice words to each other at a time, especially the past few weeks. Now all of a sudden they were attached at the hip? There was definitely something going on with them and she was going to do anything to find out what it was.

"Oh, yeah," Brooke answered. "We just ended up having dinner at the Café and talked to Karen. We got changed at my house quickly then came here." Peyton seemed to accept that answer and nodded.

"Okay," Peyton replied. She noticed that neither of them had any food. She found this to be quite strange considering both of them usually get as much food as humanly possible whenever they went to the movies. "You didn't get anything to eat?"

"We're still full from dinner," Brooke answered for the both of them. Peyton had noticed that Haley hadn't said anything since they entered the theater.

"Hales?" Peyton asked. Haley whipped her head up to look at the blonde, just zoning into the conversation. She had been so focused on trying to decide what Peyton's reaction was gonna be.

"Huh?"

"What's up with you today?" she asked. "You were quiet at the Café earlier too. Is there something wrong?" Brooke was starting to get a bad feeling and quickly intervened.

"She's just really tired from..." Peyton held up her hand to silence Brooke. She wanted to hear what Haley had to say.

"I asked Haley," Peyton told her. Brooke immediately shut up and looked at Haley, trying to convey her sympathy. She knew that Haley hated being under pressure and she also sucked at lying. "What's up?" Haley looked between Brooke and Peyton, trying to decide what to do. Now was the perfect time to tell her they were to together, but she knew by the look on Brooke's face that she wasn't ready.

"Nothing," she finally answered, which earned her a sigh of relief from Brooke. She kept eye contact with Peyton for another second before adverting her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to look at Brooke so she just stared straight ahead at the screen. Brooke could tell the Haley was upset and felt terrible. She cursed herself for being such a coward. She couldn't do it. She knew that she had promised Haley they would tell Peyton tonight, but she just couldn't do it.

"So, you think the movie will be any good?" she asked blonde. Peyton tore her gaze away from the upset girl and looked at Brooke.

"Yeah, I guess," she answered, confused at Haley's behavior. She shook her head and gave Brooke her full attention. "I mean, Tina Fey wrote it, so it's gotta be funny."

"True," Brooke sighed. She was about to say more, but the lights dimmed and the previews started. The girls leaned back in their chairs and watched the previews begin. Brooke looked back and fourth between the girls on either side of her, getting more uncomfortable by the minute. A preview for The Day After Tomorrow came on and Peyton grabbed her hand.

"Oh, Jake Gyllenhaal," she cheered. "I love him. Don't you think he's just the hottest thing in the whole?" Brooke was just so happy to have something else to talk about she nodded her head.

"I know," she gushed, even though she didn't really think anything of him. She thought he was cute, but that was about it. He was no Haley James, that was for sure. "He was so good in The Good Girl." Peyton nodded her head.

"Oh, yeah," Peyton agreed. "Why does Jennifer Aniston get all the hottest guys?"

"Except for David Schwimmer," Brooke pointed out with a laugh. Haley rolled her eyes as she listened to their conversation. Not telling Peyton about them was one thing, but going on and on about 'hot' boys was completely different. She knew that Brooke was just playing along, she didn't feel that way, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

"I don't know," Peyton disagreed. "He's been looking kinda hot this season. I mean he's no Matt Leblanc but..."

"Oh, don't even get me started on him..." Haley had had enough. She quickly stood up and walked past the little teenyboppers and out of the theater. Brooke closed her eyes when she heard her girlfriend storm out.

"What was that about?" Peyton asked. Brooke quickly searched her mind for something to say.

"She hasn't been feeling that hot all day," she lied. "She must just need some air." Peyton nodded and went back to watching the movie. Brooke waited a minute to make sure Peyton was engrossed in the movie before she stood up. "I'm gonna go check on her." Peyton nodded her head, distracted by what was happening on the screen.

"Yeah, okay." Brooke quickly made her way out of the theater and into the lobby, hoping Haley was still out there. She looked around and she was nowhere to be seen.

"Shit," she muttered to herself. She had really blown it this time. She frowned and went back into the darkened room. There was only one way to make this up to Haley and she was prepared to do it. Even if it cost her the best friend she had ever had.

**...WWHT...**

I'm done for now. Please tell me what you all think. Thank you for reading. Bye.


	5. Confessions of a Teenage Lesbian Pt 1

_Author's Note:_ Hey, I'm back. I'm glad that you all like my story and think you for not flaming it. I'm actually surprised to find the you all like it because there isn't any other ones on here like this, so I was afraid you wouldn't like it. Anyways, I'm really glad you do, and I'll hurry up and get on with the story.

**...WWHT...**

Peyton watched in confusion as her best friend paced back and fourth in her bedroom. After the movie was over, Peyton had suggested that Brooke sleep over. After Brooke called to check on Haley, she agreed. Peyton found that more than a little weird, it was like she was calling to ask permission or something. She shrugged the feeling off and continued to watch Brooke pace.

Brooke was freaking out. When she called Haley's cell there was no answer so she called her house. Her sister Taylor had answered the phone and told her that Haley gave her strict instruction to tell her that she didn't want to talk to her. Brooke told Taylor to tell Haley that she was staying over at Peyton's if she wanted to talk. Taylor had promised to give her the message.

Brooke had decided at the movies that she was going to tell Peyton about them. Peyton deserved to know the truth and Haley deserved to be love at all times. She had been practicing what to say throughout the entire movie so she had no idea what had been going, but now that she was standing there and Peyton was staring at her, she forgot everything she had practiced. Not knowing what else to do, she continued to pace.

"Okay, Brooke," Peyton called, holding up her hands. "You seriously need to stop doing that. You're gonna ruin my carpet." Brooke immediately stood still and gave Peyton a sheepish smile.

"Sorry." She looked around the room for something to keep her busy. She walked over to Peyton's computer desk and looked at the pictures hanging on the wall. She smiled when she came to a picture of Haley and Peyton at the Rivercourt. She had taken it with Peyton's Polaroid camera the night of Open Mic Night at the Café when they had all went to play/watch the big basketball game. She saw the smile on Haley's face and gathered up all her courage before turning around to face the blonde sitting on her bed.

"What's got you so wigged?" Brooke sighed and walked closer to the bed. She slipped her hands into her pocket. Peyton watched her behavior in confusion as she took a deep breath.

"Peyton," Brooke began, her voice cracking a little. "I need to tell you something." Peyton heard the uncertainty in her voice and shifted on her bed, afraid that it was going to be something wrong.

"Brooke, you know you can tell me anything," she said reassuringly. That just made Brooke feel even worse. She flinched at her words, knowing that she had no idea what she was getting herself into. "What's up?"

"Okay, you're right," Brooke sighed, taking her hands out of her pockets. She held them together before turning around, not sure if she would be able to talk if she was looking at Peyton. "You're good friends with Haley, right?" She closed her eyes at the stupidity of her own question. Of course she was friends with her. Stupid. Peyton gave her a strange look.

"Uh, yeah," Peyton answered, a little thrown by the question. She had a feeling this had something to do with Haley. "Other than you, she's like my best friend. Why? What does Hales have to do with this?"

"Well, you see," Brooke began. She turned back around. "It's me, and her, and the way we... get along." Peyton raised an eyebrow at her.

"If you don't like her that's cool," she told her, unsure if that's what she was getting at. "I don't see how you couldn't, but whatever. You didn't have to hang with her today. I mean, it's not like I'm gonna force you two to hang out or anything."

"No, no," Brooke quickly stopped her. She was laughing on the inside at the irony. That really couldn't be further from the truth. "It's not that at all."

"Than what is it?" Peyton asked, getting really sick of playing twenty-one questions. "Did you two get in a fight or something? Is that why she ran out of the movie earlier?" She gave Brooke the once over and didn't find any sign of pain. "You seem fine...did you hurt her? I swear to God, Brooke, if you hurt her, I'll..." Brooke smiled at her protectiveness. It was good to know that she cared about Haley.

"Chillax, will ya?" she teased, amused at how fast Peyton went into panic mode. "I didn't hurt her, I would never hurt Haley." Peyton visibly relaxed at he news.

"Then what's going on?" Brook took a deep breath, feeling more confidant that Peyton would be okay with this. She walked back over to the computer desk and leaned on it.

"Okay," she said, to herself less than Peyton. "Well, about a month ago we, Haley and I, got locked in the Café."

"Back when the power went out?" Peyton questioned, trying to think of when this could have happened. "During that huge ass thunderstorm?" Brooke nodded.

"Yeah, yeah," she replied. She had to continue with the story before she lost her nerve. "Anyway, after an hour of trying to think of a way out of the mess, we got to talking." She smiled at he memory. "One thing lead to another and pretty soon we were screaming at each other." Here comes the hard part. She looked down at the ground. "I don't know how it happened, I swear to God, but the next thing I know I have Haley pinned against the counter and I'm kissing her like there's no tomorrow." She risked a glance at Peyton to grunge her reaction. Her face was of pure shock and Brooke didn't blame her.

"Whoa," Peyton breathed. Brooke stood up and moved closer to the blonde.

"I don't know what came over me," she explained. "It's was like all of a sudden I just had to have her against me. It was so weird." They had actually discussed this a few times and they still hadn't come up with an answer. Haley had told her that she felt it too.

"And Haley?" Peyton questioned. There was still no other emotion, but shock on her face. "What did she do?"

"At first she didn't do anything," Brooke retold. "But then she started kissing me back and..." A huge smile came to her face, as she got lost in the memory of their first kiss. Peyton waited for her to continue. "Oh my, God. That girl is... Heaven sent."

"Really?"

"God, her lips," Brooke sighed, thinking about them as she spoke. "They are like the softest thing in the world. They're amazing. You have no idea."

"No," Peyton replied. "I certainly do not." Brooke ignored her comment.

"Out of all the people I've kissed, and that's a lot," Brooke stated. "Hales is by far the greatest. She needs to like win a prize or something." She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "She does this thing with her tongue..." Peyton held up her hands in an effort to get her to stop.

"No," she called. "Please, stop. That is much more than I ever needed to know about Haley. Much more." Brooke stopped and gave her a worried look.

"You're freaked aren't you?" she asked in a worried tone. "You think I'm disgusting, I'm weird. You want me to leave, don't you?" She didn't give her a chance to respond. "I'll leave." She grabbed her jacket and moved to the door. It took Peyton a moment to register what she was doing before she jumped up and caught her arm.

"Brooke," she began. She tugged Brooke's arm and lead her back to her bed and sat her down. "I don't think you're disgusting and I certainly don't think you're weird." She smiled. "Well, I do, but that is strictly based on your choice in music." Brooke laughed.

"You aren't freaked?"

"Oh, I'm freaked," Peyton replied. Brooke's face fell. "But only in a surprised way, not in a grossed out way. As long as you never talk about what Haley does with her tongue than I think we're cool."

"Really?"

"Really." Peyton gave her a reassuring smile. "Brooke, you're my best friend. I don't care who you date, as long as it's not my boyfriend."

"Don't worry," Brooke laughed. "I won't touch Jake."

"You better not." They girls laughed and embraced. Brooke was so glad that Peyton was cool about them. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Now all she had to do was beg for Haley's forgiveness.

**...WWHT...**

Done. Tell me what you think. Thanks. Bye.


	6. Confessions of a Teenage Lesbian Pt 2

_Author's Note:_ Hello. Glad to know you like my story. I really didn't think anyone world, but thank you for reviewing. It makes me feel good to know that I'm not just writing to myself. I'll try to update more often, what with it being summer and all, so there should be updates coming from everywhere. Anyway, I guess I'm done now.

**...WWHT...**

Haley sat on her bed, holding her favourite teddy bear to her chest. She knew that she must look really funny, being a teenager holding onto a stuffed bear for dear life, but she really didn't care at the moment. This bear, Mr. Waffles was his very original name, had been given to her when she was born. Her oldest sister had given it to her; it was sort of a peace offering for the many fights they were going to have in the future, that's what she had said, even though she was only four at the time.

She held Mr. Waffles even tighter as she thought about what had happened at the movie. Suddenly what she was doing seemed fitting, since she had been a complete baby at the movie. She shouldn't have just run out of there like that, she definitely over reacted to Brooke's behavior. Brooke was just scared to tell Peyton, she should have understood that. It's not like she's gone running into Luke's room screaming; "I'm gay, I'm gay!". She was being a complete hypercritic about he whole thing. Before she could give it much thought, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she called out lamely, already knowing who it was. Her parents were gone for the rest of the week and her sister Taylor was the only one that still lived there. Taylor stuck her head in the door.

"Don't you know you should never say that?" she joked, sensing that her little sister was in a bad mood. "I could have been a vampire or something."

"Yeah, so?" Haley asked, never getting the insane Buffy references that Taylor always used. She never watched the show, but her sister was absolutely obsessed. "They have good manors or something?"

"No, my pop culture illiterate baby sister," Taylor teased, stepping fully into the room, closing the door behind her. "They need invitations to enter a house."

"Okay," Haley replied. "Then they would already be in the house, there for not needing an invitation into my room." Taylor shook her head; Haley always had to be difficult when she was in a bad mood.

"The point is; never say that," Taylor said, finishing their argument. She moved further into the room and began to look around. "So what's wrong?" Haley watched her as she explored.

"What makes you think there's anything wrong?" Taylor glanced at her, before looking back at the pictures on Haley's mirror.

"Well," she began. "First, it's not like you're being Shaft-like about it." She laid down the picture she had pulled off the mirror to examine and moved to the next one. "And second, you're holding Mr. Waffles. You only bring that thing out when you're upset about something." She moved away from the mirror, a picture in hand that Haley couldn't see and moved over to the bed. "So spill."

"Why are you here?" Haley asked, not trying to be rude, but genuinely curious. She couldn't remember the last time Taylor had taken the time to talk to her. Taylor shrugged as she lounged on the bed.

"I figured we should have a sister to sister talk," she answered, trying to sound casual. The truth was she was really worried about Haley. She hadn't seen Luke around the house in ages and she wondered where Nathan had gone off to. She was so happy when Haley started dated him, she was hoping he would bring her out of her shell, get her out and into the world more.

"We never have those."

"I thought it was time," she answered. She sighed and figured that her method wasn't working so she could right to the point. She sat up and sat Indian style so she was facing Haley. "Look, I know you really don't want to talk to me about this. I can remember all the times Viv tried to get me to talk about my problems with her, but I think I am pretty cool, big sister wise and I was hoping I could help you out."

"There's nothing to help with," Haley answered, definitely. She really didn't think revealing her true sexual preference to her older sister would help her any. The only person that could make her feel better right now was Brooke. Seeing that it wasn't going to work, Taylor decided on a different tactic.

"I thought you were going to the movies tonight?" she asked, thinking that something must have happened at the movie. "With that cheerleader with the funny name."

"Peyton," Haley informed her. Taylor nodded her head.

"Right, Peyton," she nodded. "She's the blonde that draws those freaky pictures for THUD right?" Haley nodded, feeling bad that her sister didn't understand her friend.

"They aren't freaky," Haley corrected her. "They're just different."

"Whatever you call them," Taylor sighed. She hated it when she got sidetracked. "Why didn't you go to the movies?" Haley sighed, knowing her sister wouldn't leave until she got some sort of an answer.

"I went, I sat, I left."

"Why did you leave?"

"Look," Haley said, getting really annoyed at Taylor 's questions. "I said I didn't want to talk about it."

"No," Taylor corrected. "You said there was nothing to talk about, which was obviously a lie." She hit Haley on the foot. "Come on, Hay. Tell me what happened."

"I did something stupid, okay?" She threw Mr. Waffles onto her bed in frustration. "I would really like it if you would just leave me to wallow in my self pity."

"Even thought that is the number one rule on Loreali Gilmore's list to get over a boy," she began. "I have to go with talking to your big sister about it. Who's the guy you made a fool of yourself in front of?"

"There's no guy," she answered truthfully. She took a deep breath and looked her sister in the eye. "Seriously, Tay. Could you just let me be?"

"Fine," she said. She stood and threw the picture she had taken off the mirror onto the bed, beside Haley's feet. "But if you don't want mom and dad to find out, I'd suggest you put that picture away." Haley looked at her strangely before picking up the picture by her feet. It was a picture of her and Brooke at the beach. Brooke had her arms wrapped around Haley's waist from behind and her chin was resting on Haley shoulder, both had huge grins plaster on their faces.

"What?"

"Don't play dumb, Hay," Taylor told her. "I'm the blonde, remember?" She shook her head, not believing that her sister didn't trust her with this. "You two look really cute together." She walked to the door before remembering what she had originally come up there for. "Oh, Brooke called. She told me to tell you that she was staying at Freaky Blonde's house if you wanted to talk."

"Thanks," Haley said quietly. She felt bad that Taylor had to find out this way. She wanted to be the one to tell her, not like this. It made it look like they really did have something to hide. She looked up to find that Taylor still hadn't left her room, but she was pretty close. "Wait!" she called. Taylor froze, but didn't turn around. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what, Haley?" she asked, turning around. Haley grimaced when she saw the hurt look on Taylor's face. Haley picked Mr. Waffles back up again.

"For not telling you about me and Brooke sooner," she said. Taylor didn't know what to do. She was hurt that she was kept in the dark, but she knew that Haley didn't mean to hurt her. It couldn't have been an easy thing to do, telling someone that loves you that you're gay. "I didn't mean to keep it a secret, I swear. I was just so scared to tell anyone." Taylor shook her head and walked back over to the bed. She sat down and moved closer to Haley.

"You can tell me anything, Hay," Taylor told her. "You're my baby sister and I will always love you." She brought her into a hug. "Whether you like girls or boys." Haley laughed and pulled out of the embrace.

"Don't say it like that," she asked. "You make it sound like I'm a big lesbo."

"Well, aren't you?" she asked. She picked up the picture and looked at it again. "I mean this Brooke looks very womanly and I used to change your diapers, so I know you're womanly..."

"It's not like I have sudden urges to jump other woman," Haley explained. "Just Brooke." Taylor laughed at the glazed over look that came to Haley's eyes. Haley caught her looking at her. "Not that I have. Jumped her, I mean."

"Good to know," Taylor commented. "Well, whatever you categorize yourself, I will always love you, is my point."

"I got that."

"Good." Taylor remembered what they had been talking about before. "Now can you tell me why you left the movies early? Did Brooke hurt you? Cause I swear I'll beat her up for you. Nobody hurt's my baby sis..."

"It's not that," Haley interrupted. Taylor seemed to visible relax.

"But it does have to do with Brooke?" Haley nodded. "Look, I don't know what happened and it seems like you aren't going to tell me, but I'll give you the secret to making up with someone."

"An what's that?" Haley asked, actually interesting in what her sister was going to say. Taylor looked at he nightstand beside the bed, where the phone lay.

"Call her." After she was sure that Haley was going to take her advice she stood, kissed Haley on the forehead and made her way to the door. She stopped half way through and turned around. "Invite her and Freaky Blonde over for dinner tomorrow night. I want to meet this girl."

"I'll ask," Haley promised. Taylor smiled and walked the rest of the way out the door, closing it behind her. Haley waiting a moment before reaching for the phone. She took a deep breath and punched in the numbers to Peyton's house.

**...WWHT...**

Hope you liked it. Also, I was wondering if any of you knew any good fics with lots for Brooke/Haley stuff in it? I know there isn't any slash one, but friendship will do. Anyway, please review. Thanks. Bye.


	7. Am I Sorry or Are You?

_Author's Note:_ Hey all. That's so much for the continuing reviews. I'm glad that you all like this story and I'm happy you all have open minds to this sort of thing. I hope that you guys liked Kate, I tried to make her as likable as I could. So I hope it came across. Thanks for reading this up until now, and I hope you'll continue to read it. I haven't decided what will happen in this chapter yet, but I'm thinking there will be some major making up going on. So if that's your cup of tea, come on down.

**...WWHT...**

Peyton was more than a little surprised at what Brooke was telling her. She had insisted that Brooke tell her everything, minus some details of course, of how she and Hales had gotten together. Brooke retold the entire night at the Café, smiling in all the right places.

"So you two have been together for a month?" Peyton asked in surprise. She can't believe she wasn't able to see it sooner. She thought back to everything that had happened over the last month and tried to think of anything that might have been able to tip her off. She couldn't remember anything.

"Yeah," Brooke smiled. "It'll be a month in three days." A far off look came to her face. "I can't believe we've lasted this long."

"Why not?" Brooke shrugged her shoulders.

"I just figured I've screwed it up by now," Brooke answered. Her face fell as she thought back on what happened earlier tonight. "I may have done that tonight."

"At the movies?" Brooke nodded. "Yeah, what was up with that? Why did Hales bail like that?" Brooke lowered her head, feeling guilty about what she had done to Haley. She knew how bad it made Haley feel when she pretended to talk about hot boys. She wasn't sure if it was because she was jealous or if it was something else.

"I'm guessing she got tired of hearing me gushing over boys," she informed her. Suddenly, Peyton remembered what they had been talking about before Haley left. She felt bad, feeling that it she hadn't started the conversation than Haley never would have ran out.

"Oh, man," she sighed. "I'm sorry, Brooke. That was totally my bad. I never should have started talking about them." Brooke shook her head, telling her it wasn't her fault.

"No," Brooke stopped her. "I shouldn't have talked about it. I know who Haley feels when I do that. I was just being stupid..." She trailed off when she heard the phone ringing. Peyton held up her finger, indicating that she can continue when she was done. She grabbed the cordless phone that was on her bed and looked at the name.

"It's Hales," she told Brooke. Brooke's head snapped up and she looked at her in surprise. Peyton smiled at her and tossed her the phone. "Talk to her."

"What am I supposed to say?" Peyton shrugged her shoulders and stood up.

"Beg, plead, grovel," she suggested. She smiled at her and walked to the door. "Better yet, tell her you told me. I bet that would impress her." She walked out to give them some privacy. Brooke looked at the phone and took a deep breath before hitting the talk button.

"Hey, baby," she greeted her in an apologetic tone. Haley smiled, glad to her hear call her that. When she was mad, she always called her Haley. That was the only time. If it was Hales or Baby, then she was either happy or sorry.

"Hey, Tigger," she said back. "How was the movie? Was Tina Fey funny?"

"I wouldn't know," she answered with a laugh. "I wasn't really paying that much attention."

"Oh, that hot guy distracted you?" Haley teased. She knew she was only making her feel worse, but her figured Brooke would know she was only kidding. Or at least she hoped she knew.

"No," Brooke said, happy to see that Haley was joking around with her. A joking Haley was a non-mad Haley, which, besides sexy and cute Haley, was the best one. "That beautiful, pissed off girl that ran out of the theater had me distracted. I was thinking about her the whole the time."

"You were, were you?"

"The whole time," Brooke confirmed. She knew that this flirting thing they had going wasn't getting them past what they really needed to be talking about, but she did enjoy it. She loved flirty-Haley.

"And what exactly were you thinking about?"

"About how much of a screw up I was," Brooke answered. "About how I blew the most amazing thing that could ever happen to me. About how much I wanted to have you next to me. And about how much I love you." Haley smiled to herself as she heard the wonderful things Brooke was saying to her.

"And that was more entertaining than Tina Fey?"

"You betcha," Brooke cheered. They both giggled a little. Brooke calmed down and a solemn look came to her face. "Look, Hales, want I did in there was completely stupid and..."

"Tigger?" Brooke immediately stopped her apology. After Brooke didn't continue, Haley assumed she had her attention. "I really don't think we should be doing this over the phone."

"Your right."

"I mean," Haley continued, ignoring Brooke's comment. "This is our first real fight, even though there was no actual fighting, as a couple anyway cause if we count all the stuff that happened over the past month then we'd loose count..."

"Baby, babble mode," Brooke interrupted her. She absolutely loved it when Haley babbled, but she knew Haley hated to do it so it was her job to stop her. Plus, she didn't exactly need any reminders of what a horrible person she had been.

"Oh, sorry," she mumbled.

"You know I love it when you do that," Brooke told her, wanting to make sure she knew that she had nothing to apologize for. "Finish what you were saying."

"What was I saying?" she asked confused. Brooke smirked.

"God, you are so damn cute."

"You can't even see me," Haley pointed out. She loved it when Brooke gave her compliments like that, but it always made her blush, which just made Brooke say something else.

"I know what you look like," Brooke explained. "I know all your moods and faces. And let em tell you, they are all cute so I figured I was playing it safe." Haley giggled. "Like right there, that was so cute."

"What I was saying," Haley began again, wanting to get the topic off of how cute she was. She remembered what she was saying before. "Was that I didn't wanna make up over the phone."

"Me neither."

"So I was wondering if you'd meet me down by the Docs?" Brooke smiled when she suggested this. That was where they had had their first official date just about a week ago.

"I'll see you there, baby," she told her. "I love you." She hung up before Haley had a chance to reply. She sat there and smiled down at the phone for a moment before giggling and running towards the door. She ran down the stairs and nearly ran into Peyton who was coming around the corner. Peyton assumed that they had made up, judging by how giddy her friend was.

"I take it everything is good with the Lovebirds?" she asked with a smirk.

"It will be in about ten minutes," she told her, finishing her walk to the door. She grabbed her shoes and began to put them on. Peyton watched her in confusion.

"Where are you going?" Brooke looked up after she got her second shoe on. She reached for her keys on the side table. She smiled at her.

"To go make up with Hales at the Docs." She opened up the door and got only one foot out before Peyton called out to her.

"If you two want, you should come back," she suggested. "You know, if you're not too busy." Brooke nodded. "Oh, and if you hurt her I'll kill you."

"I know," Brooke said, knowing she was serious. "I'll see you after." And with that, she was out the door. Peyton smiled at the closed door.

"Aw, young love," she muttered to herself. She shook her head and made her way back up the stairs and into her room.

**...WWHT...**

That's it. I don't think it was that good, but if you liked it would you please review to tell me. Thank you. Bye.


	8. As Long As Your Happy

_Author's Note:_ Hey all. That's so much for the continuing reviews. I'm glad that you all like this story and I'm happy you all have open minds to this sort of thing. Thanks for reading this up until now, and I hope you'll continue to read it. I haven't decided what will happen in this chapter yet, but I'm thinking there will be some major loving going on. So if that's your cup of tea, come on down.

**...WWHT...**

Haley was pacing back and forth on the edge of the dock. She was currently talking on her cell phone to her sister. When Taylor found out that Haley was going to be going out there this late by herself, she insisted she keep her on the phone until Brooke got there so she would know she was safe. In fact, she wanted to remain on the phone even when Brooke got there, that way she would know if Brooke was good enough for her little sister.

"I told you before," Haley sighed. She couldn't believe her sister was acting like this. She never got this way when she had dated Nathan for that spilt second. "You are not going to listen to me and Brooke making up."

"Thank God," Taylor replied. "For a second there I thought you were gonna say make out." Haley laughed at the genuinely relieved tone in Taylor 's voice.

"Oh, I'm sure there will be plenty of that," Haley commented. "Or at least there better be." Haley smiled at the face she imagined Taylor was making. She could hear Taylor coughing on the other end of the line. "Still wanna stay on?"

"No, actually," Taylor decided. "I think I'd rather not." Haley laughed at her. Her laughing soon turned to nervousness as she saw Brooke's silver Bug pull up. Taylor heard the change of tone on her sister immediately. "You okay, Hay? What's going on?"

"Brooke just pulled up," she informed her sister. Taylor smiled at the nervousness in her sister. She remembered those days, back when dating and being in love was so new. She was just hoping her baby sister didn't have to go through the pain and heartbreak she went through.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she teased. "Go make up with the girl."

"Yeah, okay," Haley breathed. "That would probably make sense. I should go over and meet her." She looked over and watched as Brooke stepped out of her car. "So, I'm gonna go over there now."

"Go get 'em, killer," Taylor laughed. She had never heard her sister this nervous before. This Brooke must be something special. "Don't forget to invite her and Freaky ... Peyton over for dinner tomorrow. Oh, and tell her that if she ever hurts you in any way, shape of form that I'll give her a first class ass kicking."

"Tay, you are aware that you aren't actually Buffy, right?"

"That's what you think," she countered. She realized that Haley was just stalling. "Would you just go get your girlfriend already?" With that Taylor hung up the phone. Haley was surprised to her a dial tone. She looked at the phone before realizing her sister wasn't there any more. She shut it and slipped it into her pants pocket. She took a deep breath and began to walk over to where Brooke was. Brooke did the same. They meet in the middle, both could tell the other was nervous.

"Hey, baby," Brooke greeted her. Haley let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding and smiled. Brooke smiled at her girlfriend. "Wow."

"What?" Haley asked, confused at what Brooke was so amazed with. She looked behind her to see if there was something amazing back there. There was nothing.

"It's just so cool," Brooke answered. Haley continued to stare at her blankly. "I've never been in this stage before."

"Tigger, what are you talking about?" Haley asked. "What stage?"

"The 'When you smile, I smile' stage."

"Oh," was all Haley could say. Then she realized how sweet Brooke was being. "Ooohhhh. Tigger, why are you so sweet to me?" Brooke shrugged like it was nothing, which it was, she always just said what she was thinking, but she was glad that Haley thought it she was sweet.

"Cause you deserve it," Brooke answered truthfully. "So, with my sweetness aside, can we please make up now?" Haley nodded, taking Brooke's hand in hers and lead her over to the end of the dock so they could sit down. They sat there, feet in the water for a few moments in silence, both not knowing where to start.

"So," Haley began, deciding that she should be the one to start since she called the little meeting. "About the movies..."

"I know," Brooke interrupted. "I was being totally stupid and inconsiderate to your feelings. I know you hate it when I talk about boys like that and I never should have..."

"Can I please apologize now?" Haley asked, with a smile on her face. Brooke gave her a confused look, not knowing what on earth Haley would have to apologize for.

"Um, okay," Brooke said, showing that she wasn't sure what she was talking about. "What are you apologizing for exactly?"

"I totally overreacted in there," Haley told her. "I was just upset that you weren't gonna tell Peyton anymore." She looked down at the water, ashamed to look Brooke in the face. "Whenever you say you don't wanna tell her, I can't help but feel hurt in some way, you know? Like you're ashamed to tell her that you love me or something."

"Absolutely not, Hales," Brooke reassured her. She carefully took a hold of Haley's hand. "I was afraid to tell Peyton because I was afraid that she wouldn't except us. And if she didn't except us I was scared you'd change your mind or something. Or that you would be too upset about losing Peyton as a friend that you wouldn't be you anymore." Haley finally raised her head to look at Brooke. "I would rather have you behind closed doors than to not have you at all."

"Tigger, I had no idea," Haley commented, squeezing the girl's hand. "If I had known, I would never have tried to pressure you into telling her..."

"But I knew that was what you wanted," Brooke said, ignore what Haley had told her. "That it would make you happy. Baby, I would do anything to make you happy." Haley looked at her in shock, trying to figure out what Brooke was saying.

"Brooke, what are you saying?"

"When the movie was over, Peyton suggested we have a sleep over," Brooke explained. "Baby, when you left that theater, I promised myself that I would put your needs before mine. When we got to her house, I told her everything." Haley's eyes widened.

"You told her?" Brooke nodded. "Why did you do that? After everything you just told me about how you felt about telling her, why did you do it?"

"Because that was what you wanted," Brooke answered. "I knew that would make you happy, and that's all I ever need is for you to be happy." Brooke looked into Haley's eyes and saw the love there. Before she knew what was happening, Haley was kissing her. Without thinking, her hand wandered up to Haley's hair and she ran her fingers through it, bringing the girl closer to her. Oxygen was fast becoming an issue, and the girls were force to separate. Brooke pressed her forehead to Haley's and kept her hand in Haley's hair. Haley had a huge smile on her face.

"So, what did she say?"

"She said that she was cool with it," Brooke said with a smile. She was pleasantly surprised at how much better she felt about being with Haley now that Peyton knew about them. "She was more than a little surprised at the news, but I think she's already over the initial shock of it. She told me that she didn't care who I dated, as long as it wasn't Jake." Haley laughed, knowing that was so something Peyton would say. "She also told me that if I hurt you, she would kill me."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Haley gushed, flattered that Peyton would do that for her. "I'll have to remember to give her a big hug the next time I see her."

"Speaking of that," Brooke began, remembering the invitation that Peyton had given them for a sleepover. "Peyton invited us over for a sleepover tonight. You interested?"

"Let's see," Haley teased. "I whole night in bed with you? Let me think about it...Hell yeah!" Brooke laughed at her attitude. She was so happy to know that Haley was in the same place as she was.

"I was hoping you'd say that." She gave Haley another quick kiss on the lips before pulling away. "Let's go," she suggested, getting up and extending her hand out for Haley to grab. She pulled Haley up and into a hug. "I love you," she whispered into her ear.

"I love you, too," Haley said back, with a huge smile on her face. She pulled away; their hands still intertwined and began to walk to Brooke's car. "So, since you made the plans for tonight, I got the plans for tomorrow night covered." Brooke raised an eyebrow at her, a sly smile came to face.

"Oh yeah?" Haley nodded. Brooke leaned in closer. "And what would that be?" she asked, reaching up to nibble on Haley's ear.

"Dinner with Peyton and Taylor," she answered. Brooke immediately stopped what she was doing and pulled away. She looked at Haley in disappointment.

"Your sister?" Haley nodded, a smile in place. Brooke suddenly realized what she did. "Did you tell her about us?"

"Kinda."

"What do you mean kinda?" Brooke repeated. "How do you kinda tell your sister that you have a girlfriend?" Haley flinched at the sound of her voice and Brooke realized that she sounded mad. She stopped walking. "Oh, baby, I didn't mean it like that. I'm not mad or anything. I'm just surprised is all." Haley nodded and they continued walking.

"She came in to see what was wring with me," Haley explained. "She was being her usual snoopy self and saw a picture of us together. She connected the dots all on her own." Brooke had been in Haley's room a hundred times and was trying to think of a picture that would have given them away. She suddenly remembered.

"I thought I told you to take that beach picture down," she said lightheartedly, not wanting Haley to think that she was mad again. Haley shrugged. "So I take it she was cool with us? Or did she invited us over to yell at me for corrupting her baby sister?" Haley laughed at that.

"Well, she might do that," Haley laughed. "But she was okay with it. She said about the same thing as Peyton said, as long as I was happy." Brooke nodded; glad to hear that she wouldn't have a crazed older sister on her hands.

"That's good to know."

"But she did say that if you ever hurt me she would kick your ass," Haley added with a laugh. Brooke pretended to be afraid before pouting.

"Well, that makes three of us," she commented. They unlocked their hands when they reached the car and both went to their sides to get in.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if I ever hurt you, I'll have Peyton and Taylor to deal with," Brooke explained. "Plus myself because let me tell you, I would be very angry with myself if I ever did that." Haley laughed and they both got into the car.

"Then I guess you should never hurt me, huh?" Brooke started the car.

"I don't plan on it, baby," Brooke promised her. She flipped on the radio and they drove off towards Peyton's house.

When they were sure they were gone, Tim and Theresa came out from their hiding spot. They had been there making out, when they heard Haley talking to Taylor and decided to hide. Theresa didn't want anyone to know that she was with Tim, that was just embarrassing.

"I can't believe Tutor Girl plays for the other team," Tim laughed. "I can't wait to tell Nathan. That'll really bruise his ego." Theresa stared at the spot that Brooke and Haley had just occupied.

"I can't wait to tell the whole school," she said. "That should give me enough ammo to be cheerleading caption." Tim looked at her in amusement.

"That's pretty cold, Theresa," he commented.

"Shut up, Tim," she snapped and he immediately closed his mouth. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in the direction of their car.

**...WWHT...**

Uh oh, that doesn't look good does it? Tell me what you think of the story. And tell me what you think should happen. Thanks. Bye.


	9. The Sweetest Thing

_Author's Note:_ Hey all. That's so much for the continuing reviews. I'm glad that you all like this story and I'm happy you all have open minds to this sort of thing. Thanks for reading this up until now, and I hope you'll continue to read it.

PS: Cocole- Since I'm not her personal chauffeur, I won't know, but I'm gonna go with; 'she walked there'. She lives closer than Peyton does.

**...WWHT...**

Peyton smiled when she saw Brooke's car pull up into her driveway. At first she was worried, but she soon became happy when she saw that Haley was in the passenger seat. When Brooke had left the house, she was pretty sure that they were going to make up, but she wasn't a hundred percent sure. Nonetheless she was glad that they were together and she was even gladder that they were apparently going to spend the night. She watched as they got out of the car and began to walk over.

"So, you're sure that she's totally cool with us?" Haley asked as she and Brooke walked hand in hand to Peyton's front door. She was so overjoyed when she found out that Peyton was cool with them, but she didn't know just how cool she was. Did she just sort of accept the whole thing, but didn't want it around her or was she comfortable with everything?

"I think so," Brooke replied, trying to think back to the conversation she had with the blonde earlier. "She said she was cool as long as I don't talk about what you do with your tongue." She smiled, knowing Haley was about to have a fit. Haley stopped walking and turned to look at her.

"Why would you be talking to her about what I do with my tongue?" Haley asked, not knowing if she should be embarrassed or not. Brooke gave her an apologetic smile. Hoping Haley would think she was too cute to stay mad at.

"I'm sorry," she pouted. "I was just explaining what an amazing kisser you are and it sort of slipped out." Haley tried not to let a smile break through.

"I'm an amazing kisser?" she asked, a mixture or pride and surprise. Brooke gave her an 'Are you kidding me?' look before nodding emphatically. "Really?"

"The bestest," she cheered with a laugh. Haley giggled at the happy tone in her voice.

"You know that's not a word, right?"

"Since there isn't a word in the entire English dictionary to describe what an amazing kisser you, I had to make up my own." Brooke smiled, hoping that would get her some brownie points for later. Haley gave Brooke her best smile before leaning in to kiss her.

"You're lucky you're cute," she mumbled between kisses. Brooke had a teeth flashing smile spread on her face when they parted.

Peyton watched them from her window with a smile on her face. She was more than a little surprised that she wasn't uncomfortable with the sight of seeing her two best friends, who both happen to be girls, making out in front of her. She actually thought they made an adorable couple. She finally tore her gaze off them when she realized it was kind of weird and creepy to be watching them. A few moments later there was a knock at the door.

"Sorry, we don't want any girl guide cookies," she called through the door, knowing it was obviously them.

"Well it's a good thing it's your two best friends then," Brooke called back to her through the door. They proceeded to pound on the door until Peyton was forced to open it. They both had huge grins plastered on their faces when they met Peyton.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them with an equally happy smile. Brooke and Haley politely walked in when Peyton held the door open for them.

"What's up, P. Sawyer?" Brooke asked, stepping into the house, as Peyton shut the door behind them. "It's been a long time."

"Believe it or not," she began, frowning a little when she saw that Haley looked a little nervous. "Absolutely nothing has changed in the half an hour that you were gone."

"Well, of course," Brooke answered with a smile. "Nothing exciting can happen unless I'm here." Both Peyton and Haley shook their heads at her, both used to the cocky behavior of the cheerleader. Brooke smiled sweetly at them, taking of her shoes and moving further into the house that was like a second home to her.

"Um, Brooke?" Peyton called out to her. Brooke turned around to look at her.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you head on up to my room?" Peyton suggested, moving her eyes in the direction of Haley so Brooke would know what was going on. "I wanted to talk to Hales for a second." Brooke looked between the two of them and stopped at Haley, silently asking her if it was okay. Haley nodded slightly, giving her a sad smile.

"Okay," Brooke answered, unsure of what they were going to talk about. She locked eyes with Haley. "Go easy on her, baby." Haley smiled as she watched Brooke make her way up the stairs to Peyton's room. Peyton couldn't suppress a smile at how sweet Brooke was with Haley. When she was sure that Brooke was upstairs she turned to Haley.

"What's up, Hales?" she asked. Haley looked at her in confusion. "You look kind of uncomfortable or something. What's wrong?" Haley looked down at the ground, before walking further into the house. Peyton followed after her, making sure not to crowd her space though.

"I'm just not sure how cool you are with us," Haley answered. They both stopped when they reached the living room and Haley finally looked up. "I don't know how natural we're allowed to be around you."

"Oh," Peyton said. She took a step closer to her friend. "Look, I don't have a lot of people in my life so my friends are pretty much the most important thing to me and you and Brooke are my best friends. Seeing you two happy, makes me happy." Haley smiled at her. "Not happy-happy. Not like pleasurable... I think I'm gonna stop while I'm ahead."

"I think that would be the best plan," Haley laughed. "So what was your final answer?"

"Just act the way you normally act around each other," Peyton answered. "I was watching you two before you came in, again not in a creepy way, and I thought you two were just so adorable." Haley blushed at the complement. "So, I say kiss away. Just keep it to a minimum. Nothing personal, I'm just not a big fan or PDA."

"Got it," Haley said with a smile, feeling a lot better knowing where Peyton stood on their relationship. "So, was that all?"

"Pretty much," Peyton said. She was trying to decide whether she should say what else she wanted to say. Haley started to walk to the stairs. "Actually, Hales," she called out. Haley stopped and turned back to her. "There was one more thing I wanted to say."

"Yeah?"

"Look," she started, getting a little uncomfortable. "Brooke's been my best friend since we were little, I know how she is and I just don't want you to get hurt." Haley looked at her strangely. "Now, I just found out about it tonight so I don't really know anything about your relationship other than the fact that you are heaven scent..."

"That's right, you don't know anything," Haley said, defensively. She didn't know where Peyton was going with this, but she didn't like it. Peyton heard the anger in her voice and quickly tried to finish.

"It's just that I've grown quite fond of you lately and I just don't want to see you hurt." Haley's features soften a little. "Brooke's track record in relationships isn't exactly pretty, but now that I think about it, she's never really had a boyfriend or, well, girlfriend before. She's always just gone on a couple dates, got bored and dumped the guy. I don't want that to happen to you."

"It won't," Haley told her with certainty. "Granted, I was never really friends with her before this, but I know how she used to be and trust me when I tell you that she's changed."

"Yeah, yeah, I can see that," Peyton reassured her. "I knew there was something going on, she's been happier than she's even been over the last month. I'm assuming you had something to do with that." Haley smiled.

"I hope so," Haley smiled. "Don't worry about me, Peyton. I really don't think that Brooke's going to hurt me." Peyton nodded, glad that she got that out of the way. "Thanks for looking out for me, Peyton. It really means a lot to me to know that you care."

"Good," Peyton replied. "I'm glad." Haley suddenly leaned in and gave her a big hug. The blonde was surprised at first, but hugged her back "What was that for?" she asked when Haley pulled away.

"Brooke told me that you threatened to kill her if she hurt me," Haley explained. "I thought that was the sweetest thing."

"Well, I hope you still think that when I tell you the same thing."

"I got it," Haley told her. "Don't worry, I won't hurt her, I promise."

"Then I guess my protective best friend duties are done," she sighed. She rolled her eyes. "You can come on down now, Brooke!" she called, knowing that Brooke was sitting on the stairs listening to them. They both smiled when they heard Brooke sigh. A moment later, Brooke was in sight.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she said, defending herself. She descended the stairs and walked over to them. She wrapped her arms around Haley waist and kissed her hair. "Don't listen to her, baby. She's telling you lies."

"Oh, I'm sure she is, Tigger," Haley laughed. "You guys wanna watch a movie or something?"

"Yeah," Brooke answered for the both of them, knowing that Peyton would be okay with that. "Why don't you go pick one, baby?" she suggested, letting go of Haley. Haley nodded and kissed Brooke lightly on the lips before heading into the living room to pick a movie.

"You're so good with her," Peyton stated, watching as Haley sorted through the movies in her collection. Brooke smiled, happy that she thought she was a good girlfriend. She turned to Peyton.

"I just wanted to thank you for looking out for her," Brooke told her. "It means a lot to know that someone else will be there for her."

"No problem," Peyton told her. "About the other things I said about you..."

"They weren't untrue," Brooke interrupted her. "No need to apologize. You had Haley's best interest at heart, but she was right, too. I won't hurt; I'd die before I did that. I've done enough of that already." Peyton smiled that how sincere she looked.

"I know." They two of the shared a mutual look of understanding and smiled.

"What do you say we go join my hot girlfriend in the living room?" Brooke suggested and Peyton laughed. "See what movie she's going to force us to watch."

"Let's go." They walked into the living room to find that Haley already had the movie picked out and set up. Peyton got comfortable in the chair and Haley and Brooke cuddled up on the couch to watch 10 Things I Hate About You. None of them knowing what was in store for them the next day at school.

**...WWHT...**

All done. I hope you guys liked it. I haven't decided what I want to happen at school, but there will be some drama coming up. Please review to tell me what you think. Bye for now.


	10. And So it Begins

Author's Note: Hey all, sorry it's been so long. I'm glad that you still like my story. I honestly didn't think anybody would, everything seems to be Naley now a days. I personally am not a fan of anything Naley related. I like the unconventional couples a lot more. Anyway, yes, Nathan will probably be appearing in this chapter, but I don't want any review begging me to break Brooke and Haley up and get Haley together with Nathan, it's not gonna happen. And I'm not gonna put Brooke with Lucas. Get over it. This is a Baley fanfiction till the end. Okay, so I'm done now.  
  
..........WWHT..........  
  
Peyton pulled her car into her usual spot at Tree Hill High, with Brooke and Haley sitting in the back. The lovebirds got out and waiting patiently for Peyton to join them before the three of them began their walk to the school. They had to get there early because Peyton and Brooke had cheerleading practice, which meant there was basketball practice too. As they were walking, Haley spotted Lucas sitting on a bench, watching them.  
  
"You coming to practice, Hales?" Peyton asked as they continued their walk. Haley shook her head, pointing in Luke's direction. Peyton nodded in understanding.  
  
"I'm gonna go see what Luke's up to," she answered. She turned to Brooke to make sure it was okay with her. Brooke nodded, knowing she was asking permission. "I'll see you first period?"  
  
"Yep," Brooke smiled. She looked over at Luke too and gave him a little wave in which he returned in confusion. She turned back to her girl friend. "I'd kiss you goodbye, but I don't want to give Mr. Scott an eye full."  
  
"No, we wouldn't want that," Peyton agreed. They stopped just outside the door. "I'll see you later, Hales."  
  
"Bye, baby," Brooke sighed, wishing she could kiss her girlfriend. "I love you."  
  
"Love you, too," Haley smiled as she began to back up. "Give me a B, give a Y, give an E. What does that spell?" Peyton and Brooke both mock leered at her and she laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Bye guys." They waved at her one last time before walking into the school. Haley laughed and made her way over to where Luke was sitting. "Hi, broody best friend." Luke looked at her strangely, but laughed.  
  
"Hi, surprisingly perky best friend." He held up his hand and Haley gave him a high five before sitting down beside him. "Do my eyes deceive me or did I just see you arrive with the cheer patrol?" She hit him on the arm.  
  
"Oh, yeah," she sighed. "What can I say, they kidnapped me. I had no choice."  
  
"I feel so guilty for not being able to rescue you," Luke said in fake sadness. "Did they torture you and tie you up?" Haley pretended to gasp at the hopefulness in his voice.  
  
"That's nice," Haley replied. "Naw, we had a little girly sleep over party. What are those called again?" The only sleep overs she ever had were with Luke and those usually consisted of watching some horrible Bruce Willis movie, fighting over the popcorn and arguing over who got the bed which always ended in Karen yelling at Luke and ordering him to sleep on the couch. "Help me out here. There's chick flicks and low fat yogurt, pillow fights..."  
  
"Slumber party?"  
  
"Yes!" she cheered. They both shared a laugh. "Peyton invited us over after the movie." Luke raised an eyebrow, surprised that she had spent so much time alone with the two cheerleaders.  
  
"What movie did you see?"  
  
"Mean Girls," she answered quickly. She wanted to change the subject as soon as possible before he could ask her about the movie. "So, why are you out here? Aren't you supposed to be at practice?"  
  
"I was in there before," Luke told her. "But Theresa was yelling at the squad about something and told us all to stay at our end of the court. I just wanted to get some fresh air away from all the yelling." Haley nodded, wondering what Theresa was yelling about. Wasn't Brooke the caption? "I think the rest of the team headed to the dressing room. Away from the terror."  
  
"When was all of this?" she asked. Luke shrugged his shoulders and checked his watch.  
  
"Twenty minutes, I guess," he answered. "Do you think it's safe to go back in yet?" Haley nodded and stood up, holding out her arm for him to link his through. He rolled his eyes, knowing how stupid they would look, but did it anyways. Anything to make his best friend happy.  
  
"Don't worry," she told him as they began to walk towards the gym. "I'll protect you from mean ol' Theresa. I promise." He sighed in relief.  
  
"Oh, thank you, Hales," he said. "I just don't know what I would do without you." Haley laughed as they entered the school. As they neared the gym they could hear yelling. Haley stopped in her tracks, which caused Luke to do the same. He looked at her in confusion. "What?"  
  
"That's Brooke," she stated. Before Luke could question her about it, she pulled her arm free and ran towards the gym. When she entered she was surprised to find it looked like a war zone. Theresa and most of the cheerleaders where standing on one side and Brooke and Peyton with maybe three other cheerleaders were standing on the other side.  
  
"What or who I do in my spare time is none of your business!" Brooke shouted at Theresa. Haley's stomach topped to her feet. Guess their secret's out. As are they.  
  
"It is when you're spending all your time with your new girlfriend when you're supposed to be practicing and working on our routines." Luke chose that moment to enter and stood with Haley, watching the argument. He had no idea what was going, but Haley feared he would soon enough.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Brooke questioned, trying to think of any practices she had missed because of a date with Haley. She shook her head. "How do you even know about us, anyway?" Theresa smirked and looked over at Haley and Luke, who were standing at the doors. Brooke and Peyton followed her gaze. Brooke froze when she saw them. This was so not good.  
  
"I saw you and her making out at the Docs," she answered, pointing to where Haley and Luke stood. Brooke and Haley both closed their eyes, waiting for Luke's outburst. Lucas looked at his best friend in shock.  
  
"What?" he questioned. Everyone in the room was now watching the two best friends, awaiting the blow up. Haley slowly turned around and was surprised when she didn't see the anger she had expected on his face. Instead he looked hurt.  
  
"Luke..."  
  
"What is she talking about, Hales?" he asked. He was praying that his best friend hadn't been lying to him. He was hoping that Theresa was just trying to cause trouble as usual. Haley flinched at the pained look on his face. She hated that she cause that.  
  
"Please, Luke," she began, reaching out to him. He took a step back. "Just let me explain." Luke shook his head.  
  
"No," he stated, forcefully. "Have you been lying to me?" Haley hung her head and nodded, not being about to look at him. "For how long?" Brooke started to make her way over to help her girlfriend out.  
  
"Look, it's not as bad as..."  
  
"Just shut up, Brooke," he snapped at her. She immediately closed her mouth, but still walked over to join Haley, not waiting her to take all of the punishment. He gave her a dirty look when she wrapped her arms around Haley's waist. He looked Haley directly in the eyes. "How long?"  
  
"A month," she whispered. Luke let out a puff of air in frustration. "I'm so sorry, Luke. I didn't want to hurt you..." He held up his hands to stop her.  
  
"Save it, Haley," he snapped at her. "I thought you were my best friend." Before she could answer him, he stormed out of the gym, slamming the door on the way out. Except for the echoing of the door, the gym was silent. Peyton slowly made her way over to were her best friends were and laid a supportive hand on Haley's shoulder.  
  
"Well, isn't that nice," Theresa teased. They all turned around to face her, having forgotten that the squad was there.  
  
"Go to hell, Theresa," Brooke hissed at her, not wanting Haley to get hurt anymore than she already was. She looked around at the other girls, most of whom were giving them dirty looks too. "Practice is over."  
  
"You don't have the authority to make that decision anymore," Theresa smirked at her. Brooke looked at her in confusion. "We took a vote before you got here, you are no longer caption."  
  
"You can't do that..."  
  
"It's done." She looked over at the girls that had taken Brooke and Peyton side before. "You with us or them? Cause you can feel free to go with them if you want." They looked over at Brooke, hoping she understood. Brooke nodded, telling them that she didn't hold any hard feelings. They lowed their heads in shame and joined the other girl. Theresa smiled victoriously. "What about you, Peyton? What's it gonna be?"  
  
"Like you even have to ask," she spat at her. "All of you make me sick." She shook her head at them before turning towards Brooke and Haley. "Come on, let's get out of here." Haley nodded and let herself be led back out to Peyton's car.  
  
..........WWHT..........  
  
Meanwhile, the rest of the team was in the locker room waiting until it was okay for them to go back out and practice. They could hear yelling and screaming, but couldn't understand what they were saying. Tim walked over to where Nathan was working out. He sat down beside his buddy.  
  
"Hey, man," Nathan greeted him, lying the weights down that he had been lifting. He grabbed the towel that was beside him and wiped his face clean before wrapping it around his neck. "What's up?"  
  
"Nothing much," Tim smirked. "You going to the party tomorrow night at Brad's house?" Nathan nodded, taking a gulp from his water bottle.  
  
"Yeah," he answered. "I was thinking about asking Haley to go. We haven't really spent a lot of time together since the drama with my parents started. It should be fun." Nathan caught the smirk on Tim's face. "What's so funny?"  
  
"Dude, you don't have a chance with Haley," Tim told him, patting him on the back in a macho way. "Never gonna happen, man."  
  
"And why not?" Nathan asked. "You going out with her or something?" Nathan almost burst out laughing at the thought of Tim having a girlfriend. Tim shook his head, not catching the teasing tone in his friend's voice.  
  
"No, but she is going out with someone." Nathan's face fell. Damn, he had wasted too much time. He knew he shouldn't have given her all that space.  
  
"Who?" The smirk on Tim's face grew to a full-blown smile. He was going to cherish the look on Nathan's face forever when he tells him.  
  
"Brooke," he stated. Nathan's eyes widened in shock. Tim burst out laughing. "She's gay, dude. Not even you can break through that barrier." With one more slap on the back he left his friend alone in his misery.  
  
..........WWHT..........  
  
That's it for now. I hope you all like it. Please, tell me what you thought. Thanks. Bye. 


	11. I Thought I Knew

_Author's Note:_ Hey everyone. I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated. It's just I didn't get much reviews at first, but then all of a sudden I got like five in one day, just completely out of the blue. So I figured I should update. I'm not sure what I want to happen in this chapter yet, but the next two or three are mapped out perfectly. Someone asked what the timeline of this is and to be perfectly honest, I have no idea. I'm gonna go with somewhere around You Gotta Go There to Come Back, but Naley and Brucas never hooked up. There was some flirting going on, but no smoochies.

**...WWHT...**

Karen woke up suddenly as she heard the front door of their home slam shut. She sat up and rubbed her eyes as she listened to her son make noise in the kitchen. Realizing what time it must be, she looked over at her alarm clock and was surprised to find that it was nine o'clock. She was trying to figure out why Luke wasn't in school. She flinched when the wall shook after Lucas slammed his bedroom door shut. She sighed and got out of bed. Throwing on a housecoat and making her way through the house to go see what was wrong with her son.

"So much for my day off," she muttered. She threw on a housecoat and made her way through the house to go see what was wrong with her son. She wasn't surprised to find his bag thrown on the floor. She knocked on the door.

"Go away."

"What's wrong?" she asked, ignoring his request and opening the door. She stepped inside and surveyed her son. No missing limbs, that's a plus. He was lying on his bed with his face buried in his pillow.

"Nothing," came his muffled reply. She rolled her eyes and walked further into the room. She sat on the edge of the bed and hit his foot.

"Then how come you aren't at school?" He blew a breath into the pillow before pushing himself up to face his mother. He sighed as sat up, running a hand through his hair.

"I just had this blow up with Haley," he told her. She nodded, acting calm. She thought she knew what was going on, but didn't want to say anything just in case.

"You guys always fight," she pointed out with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's no reason to miss school over. You'll make up in no time." He shook his head.

"Not this time," he corrected her. He balled his hands into a fist. "She lied to me, mom. And it's not like the Nathan thing, this has been going on for a month." Karen bowed her head. This was definitely about the Brooke thing.

"Lucas," she began in her usual 'Mom voice'. "Please tell me you didn't blow up at her and run off." He looked at her in shock.

"You don't understand, mom," he said, thinking she wasn't in on the secret. He looked away from the death stare she was giving him. "You couldn't understand."

"I can't believe you, Luke," she told him. "I thought you of all people would be a little more open minded about your best friend's sexual preference." Luke's head shot up and looked at her in surprise. He blinked a couple of times before he slowly got off the bed.

"What?"

"They came to me a couple weeks ago," she explained. She was guilty that she had helped them lie to him, but she was too disappointed in her son right now to dwell on it too much.

"You knew?" She nods her head. Luke throws his head back in aspiration. "I can't believe this. "She told you, but she didn't tell me. And you're okay with this?"

"At first I wasn't," she answered truthfully. "I was afraid for her, of what people would say. I didn't want her to get hurt." She smiled a little. "But after being around them, I knew they were in love. They are the sweetest things."

"How did this happen?" he asked. "When did my best friend turn into a dyke?"

"Lucas Scott, you shut your mouth!" she screamed at him. His eyes widened in surprise. His mother had never spoken to him like that. "If I ever hear you call Haley that again, you will be grounded until you are too old to enjoy your life."

"Sorry," he mumbled. He couldn't believe he had said that. It wasn't something he would ever say, especially about Haley. He looked up and flinched when he still saw the anger in his mother's eyes. "Really, I am. I can't believe I said that."

"And you'll never say it again." Luke nodded. He sighed and sat down in his chair. "What's got you so mad about this?"

"I don't know," he answered. He ran his hand through his hair again before fettling with something on his desktop. "I want to say that it's just about the fact that she lied to me, but I know it's more than that." He looked up at Karen. "I don't want to feel this way. I want to be happy for her. It's the fact that I feel... weird about the whole thing."

"I didn't know you had a problem with gay people," Karen stated, standing up and walking around his room.

"Either did I," Luke agreed. "That's the thing." He looked at a picture of Haley and him on his desk. "Maybe I'm just worried about her like you were." Karen smiled when she saw him looking at the picture.

"Or maybe it's because you've always had a little crush on her," she suggested. Luke laughed it off and put the photo back down. He shook his head.

"I don't think that's it," he corrected. He'll admit that at one point he did had feelings for her, but it had pasted a long time ago. She would always be just Hales to him. Karen walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. She leaned down she was at eye level with him.

"Do you think maybe you might have feelings for Brooke?" Luke closed his eyes. That was all the answer she needed. She squeezed his shoulders and quietly made her way out of Luke's room.

"Maybe," he whispered as he watched his computer screen. Peyton and Brooke where sitting on the edge of the bed, Haley was lying in the middle. Luke watched with jealous eyes as Brooke bend down and kissed Haley's head.

**...WWHT...**

"I can't believe he would do that," Peyton whispered, not wanting to walk up Haley. They had finally gotten her to calm down enough to get some sleep. None of them had gotten much the night before.

"I know," she said back, turning her head to look at her sleeping girlfriend. Her heart broke at how sad Haley looked. "I could just kill him right now."

"Don't forget you'll have me and Taylor for backup," Peyton added. Brooke laughed slightly at the image for the three of them beating Lucas up as Haley stood by and cheered. "I hate seeing her cry. It should be like against the law or something."

"You're telling me," Brooke agreed. She had seen Haley cry before and it always made her upset. The first time Haley had cried in front of her, she almost time, her heart hurt some much. Peyton saw the sadness in her friend's eyes and rubbed her arm.

"She'll be okay," she assured her. "They'll make it up in no time."

"How do you know, Pey?" Brooke asked quietly. Personally, she couldn't care less if she ever talked to Lucas Scott again, but she knew what he meant to Haley. She also knew what would happen to her girlfriend if Lucas didn't accept them. "This is exactly what I was afraid of about telling people. I can't stand to see her cry. It hurts too much."

"They're best friends and I know Luke," Peyton answered. "He can't live without her. Trust me, he'll come around." Haley started to moan in her sleep and Brooke was by her side in a split second.

"Shhh, baby," she cooed into Haley's ear. She laid multiple soft kisses on her temple. "I'm here. Everything's okay." Haley's immediately stilled and quieted at the sound of Brooke's voice. After a moment, Haley's eyes fluttered open. Brooke frowned at how red and puffy they were.

"Tigger?" Brooke gave her the best smile she could muster.

"Hey, baby," she greeted her. She leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. Haley looked around in confusion. The last thing she remembered was talking to Luke in the gym.

"Where are we?" She looks around. "I see a lot of freaky artsy stuff, so I'm going to say Peyton's room." Brooke laughed, despite herself. Peyton laughed too.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Luke completed wigged out on us in the gym."

"He's an ass," Brooke replied, trying to make Haley feel better. She couldn't imagine what Haley must be feeling. If Peyton hadn't accepted them, she didn't know what she would have done.

"He sure is," Haley agreed. She rubbed her eyes and sat up with the help of Brooke. She realized for the first time that the blonde was in the room and threw her a smile in which Peyton returned. "So, since we aren't going to school today, what do you girls have planned?"

"Oh, umm..." Both Brooke and Peyton were caught by surprise at how easy Haley was taking the whole thing. Peyton may have bought the act, but Brooke sure didn't. She would definitely be talking to her about that later.

"We could go shopping?" Brooke suggested. Both girls nodded in agreement. Brooke smiled, hoping that by the end of the day, she would be able to cheer her Haley up. "Nothing mends a broken heart quite like shopping with the girls."

"I hope so," Haley mumbled as she got off the bed and followed them out of the room. She could only hope that word didn't get out to the whole town yet or else this trip to the mall wasn't going to be very fun.

**...WWHT...**

All done for now. Hope you liked. The next chapter will be the dinner with the girls and Taylor, I'm not going to do anything at the mall. Please tell me what you think. Bye.


	12. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Pt 1

_Author's Note:_ Hey, everybody. I know it's been a while since the last update. I'm glad that you liked it. I posted another Baley story that I wrote a while ago. In that one, it's set in a different place where they were best friends and it shows how they got together. I hope some of you will read it as while as this one. Anyway, I've kept you waiting for long enough I guess, it's time for the story, right?

**...WWHT...**

"Is it weird that I'm scared?" asked Brooke as she turned onto the street her girlfriend lived on. Haley was in the seat beside her, smiling at the fact that Brooke was nervous about meeting her sister.

"Relax, Brooke," Peyton instructed her from her position in the backseat of the car. She leaned forward to poke her head in between her two best friends. "It's just one dinner, okay? I'm not nervous to meet her."

"Well, you don't make out with baby sister, do you?"

"Not anymore, anyways," she teased. Brooke quickly wiped her head around to glare at her. Peyton gave her an innocent smile before she leaned back in her seat so Brooke couldn't attack her.

"Now, now," Haley intervened, not wanting Peyton to get Brooke pissed off when she was already worried enough as it was. "There's no need to get upset, Tigger. She was just kidding, weren't you Peyton?" She gave Peyton a pleading look to stop causing trouble.

"I understand," she stated, pretending to pout. "You want to hide our entire affair. I see it didn't mean as much to you as it did to me."

"Seriously, Peyton," Haley sigh, not believing that Peyton was adding to the tension that was already surrounding them. Peyton saw the look on Haley's face and sighed.

"Fine," she mumbled. "I was just kidding. Excuse me for trying to lighten the mood. If Brookie over there gets anymore tense, she's gonna blow a gazette." Brooke tried her best to ignore the conversation that was going on beside her. She was too worried about the evening ahead of them.

"What are you so worried about anyway, babe?" Haley asked. "I mean it's just Taylor."

"To you she's jus Taylor," Brooke explained. "To me, she's like the scary older brother, except she the scary older sister." She glanced at Haley. She pulled into the driveway of Haley's house and turned off the car.

"She's not gonna get like that," Haley assured her. She patted Brooke on the knee before getting out of the car, Peyton and Brooke doing the same. Haley grabbed Brooke's hand and linked her arm through Peyton's as they began to walk up to the house.

"So she's not going to grill me about my intention with her little sister?"

"Oh, I'm sure she will," Haley answered. Brooke gave her a worried look and she laughed. "But don't worry, I'm sure it won't be anything that bad. I mean if she wanted to get you alone she won't have invited Peyton."

"That's right," Peyton added in. "I'm like your wingman or whatever. I'll make sure not to leave your side so she won't get the chance to question you alone." They were no on the porch. Peyton could tell that Brooke was still freaking out. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Haley nodded her head and gave her a quick kiss on the lips to reassure her before she opened the front door. The girls walked in and made their way into the living room, where Taylor was sitting on the couch watching television.

"Oh my, God," Brooke exclaimed, moving away from Peyton and Haley to join Taylor on the couch. "Is that Buffy?"

"Yeah," Taylor answered, her attention not fully on the girl, but mostly focused on what was happening on the television. "You watch it?"

"Every Tuesday," she answered. "Or at least I used to."

"Isn't the best?" Taylor asked, holding out a bowl of popcorn for Brooke, without even looking at her. Brooke took a hand full.

"Oh yeah," Brooke agreed. "I liked the earlier ones better though. Like season one through three, four was all right too, I guess. If it wasn't for..."

"Riley, yeah," Taylor interrupted her. "I hated Caption Cardboard. I liked her with Angel much more, but I always thought she was best with..."

"Willow," Brooke blurted out. Taylor laughed at her and nodded. "I was so glad when Tara got shot." Taylor nodded her head emphatically before they went back to watching. Peyton and Haley watched the scene in front of them in surprise.

"Kitchen?"

"Kitchen," Peyton agreed. With one last look, they left the two of them to talk about Buffy and made their way into the kitchen. Peyton pulled out a chair and sat at the table while Haley got them both a drink. "Can you believe that?"

"I know," Haley laughed. She closed the fridge and walked over to the table. She pulled out the chair across from Peyton's and sat down, handing the blonde her drink.

"Thanks."

"Nothing like something as important as vampire slayers to bring two people together," she commented, popping the tap on her can and taking a sip. Peyton laughed before taking a sip of her own drink. "I guess she's not nervous anymore."

"I guess not," Peyton replied. They sat in silence for a moment. Peyton had been wanting to ask her something all day, but she was afraid of how Haley might react. Deciding this was the perfect time she figured she better take it. "Hales, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"What are you gonna do about Lucas?" she asked. Haley's face fell a bit, but she tried to cover it up by putting a fake smile on her face. Peyton saw the frown though.

"Just give him time to get over," Haley answered with as much enthusiasms as she could muster. "That's all I can do, right?" Peyton nodded, bowing her head, not being able to look at the sadness she knew would be in her best friend's eyes.

"What if he doesn't get over it?" she whispers. When Haley didn't respond, she thought that she might not have heard her so she looked up. She was regretted saying anything when she saw that Haley was crying. "Oh, Hales." She quickly got out of her seat and moved around the table. She kneeled down and brought Haley into a hug.

"What if he never talks to be again?" she cried into Peyton's blonde curls. "Did you see the look on his face when he looked at me? He hated me, Pey. He hates me."

"He could never hate you, Hales," Peyton told her, running a gentle hand through Haley's hair. "He was just hurt that's all. You just need to talk to him." Haley shook her head and continued to cry.

"Hey, baby," Brooke called from out in the hallway. "Taylor's pretty cool after..." She trailed off as she entered the kitchen to see Haley crying. She rushed to her side and Peyton moved out of the way so Brooke could take over. "Baby, what's wrong?" When Haley didn't answer, she turned back to Peyton for answers.

"I said something really stupid," Peyton explained, standing in the doorway. "I asked her about Lucas..." Brooke nodded and turned back to Haley. "I'll leave you two alone." With that she walked out of the kitchen and into the living room to join Taylor.

"Sweetie, what happened?" Brooke asked, laying a hand on Haley's face and rubbing the tears away with the pad of her thumb. Haley tried to hide her face, but Brooke wouldn't let her. She held her face so she could look her in the eyes. "Baby?"

"I can't stand it when he's mad at me," she confessed, sniffling back the next flood of tears that threatened to spill out. "Tigger, I hurt him so bad. I didn't mean to. I would never want to hurt him."

"I know that, baby," Brooke assured her. She pulled the chair out that was beside her and sat down in it so she didn't have to kneel on the ground. She took Haley's hands in between her own. "You would never hurt anybody. I know that and he knows that."

"But..." Brooke laid a finger on her lips.

"No buts," she said, replacing the finger with her lips. "He's just being a big baby right now. I guess he has a right to do that, but sooner or later he'll realize what a jerk he was and beg you for forgiveness."

"You think?" Haley asked, hopefully. Brooke nodded her head and gave her a reassuring smile. She leaned her forehead against Haley's.

"I know," she stated. "No one could ever stay mad at that adorable face." Haley gave her a big smile and a big kiss on the lips.

"Am I interrupting something?" Taylor asked from her spot in the doorway. Brooke and Haley jumped at her voice and separated. "Well aren't you two just the cutest little things."

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," she answered, venturing further into the kitchen to put her empty bowl in the sink. "Finished my popcorn." Both girls nodded and looked at her nervously.

"So when's dinner gonna be..."

"Hay, can I talk to Brooke alone for a second, please?" Haley looked over at Brooke to see if that was okay. Brooke gave her a slight nod, not wanting her to be worried about anything else.

"Okay," she said, confused. She gave Brooke a quick kiss, much to the girl's surprise and walked out of the room in search of her blonde friend. "Pey Pey!" she called out to her in sing song voice, knowing how much the name annoyed her friend. Taylor and Brooke laughed at her.

"God, I love her," Brooke mumbled, loud enough for Taylor to hear her. Taylor smiled, but didn't say anything. She pushed off the counter and walked over to Brooke.

"I saw everything that happened," Taylor informed her. Brooke couldn't tell what Taylor was thinking, whether she was mad or not. "You were so great with her. You knew just what to say and do to make her feel better."

"I just said what came to mind," Brooke admitted. "I had no idea if it would work or not."

"But it did," Taylor stated. She smiled at the nervous girl. "I'm glad that my baby sister found someone that will take such good care of her. She's happy and that's all I ever want for her." Brooke let out a sigh of relief, glad that she was on Taylor's good side.

"Thank, God."

"But just so you know," she began. "If you ever hurt her..."

"I know," Brooke interrupted. "You'll kick my ass, Haley already told me. Plus Peyton threatened my life I hurt her so..."

"I knew I liked that girl," Taylor laughed. Brooke stood up when she saw that Kate was going into the living room. Taylor threw an arm over Brooke's shoulder as they walked out of the kitchen. "So you better not hurt her because I don't want to have to get rid of you. I finally found someone to watch Buffy with, I don't want to lose you already."

"No," Brooke laughed. "We wouldn't want that." They broke apart when they made it to the living room and moved to sit on the couch. Taylor sat down on the other side of Peyton and Brooke flopped down on Haley's lap, since there was no more room on the couch.

"So," Haley whispered. "Everything okay?" Brooke smiled and nodded her head, dropping a lingering kiss in her lips.

"Yep." Haley smiled and they turned to finish watching the show.

**...WWHT...**

That's it for now. I hope you liked it. The next part will be the actual dinner I think. Please tell me what you think. Thanks for reading.


	13. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Pt 2

_Author's Note:_ I know it's been a while since I last updated, but I'm back now so no worries. I'm really glad that you all like this story, I'm more than a little surprised, but it's all good. I have some drama planned for the next few chapters so don't worry about that, there's plenty to go around. I can't really think of anything else I need to tell you all, so I guess I'll just get on with it. I hope you enjoy.

**...WWHT...**

"See!" Taylor exclaimed as the credits began to roll on the episode of Buffy they had just finished watching. She turned to see that her sister was wiping away a tear. She jumped up and pointed a finger at her.

"What?"

"You liked it," she accused her. Haley was about to protest, but Taylor was having none of it. "No, no, don't even try it. People do not cry over things if they don't like them. You liked it. Admit it."

"Fine, I like it," Haley admitted, with a sigh. "It was funny and it was action packed." She highlighted that by punching the air. Brooke giggled. "And it was so sad!"

"I know!" Peyton agreed from her position on the other end of the couch. "I mean, she finally got him back and then she had to kill him. That totally sucks."

"Are you crying?" Brooke asked in amusement. She herself was not affected by the show since she had seen it many times before, but found it funny to watch the reactions of her girlfriend and best friend. Haley she had half expected to cry, but not Peyton.

"I don't cry," Peyton stated with a glare, warning her to drop it. The look just cause Brooke's smile to widen. Peyton could tell she was about to tell some embarrassing story that she did not want the sisters to hear, so she raised a finger at the brunette. "I'm warning you, Brooke, if you even open your mouth..."

"Peyton cried at the end of Miss Congeniality!" Brooke exclaimed as Peyton lunged at her. Haley and Taylor burst out laughing at the new information. Peyton jumped on top of Brooke, who was still seated comfortably in Haley's lap, causing the two of them to squeal.

"I'm gonna kill you," Peyton told her, as she tried to reach for Brooke's hair, but caught Haley's instead. Haley yelped at the pull and Peyton immediately let go. "God, I'm so sorry, Hales."

"Ouch," Haley pouted holding her head. She turned to Brooke and buried her face in curve of her neck. Brooke smiled and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.

"Aww," she sighed. "Did mean old Peyton hurt my baby?" Haley nodded her head and her response was muffled by Brooke's hair. Brooke fake leered at the blonde that was slowly crawling off of them. Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Kiss it better," Haley ordered her in fake sadness. Brooke laughed and laid a soft kiss on top of Haley's head, letting her lips linger there for a moment longer than needed.

"Better?"

"Much." Haley pulled her face out of Brooke's shoulder and smiled up at her that smile that always made Brooke weak in the knees. The smile soon spread to Brooke's face and she leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips.

"You two make me sick," Taylor groaned from her standing position in front of them. For a second Haley thought she was serious and began to panic. She quickly turned to face her and visibly relaxed when she saw the smile on her sister's face.

"I second that," Peyton commented. Haley shot her a playfully scowl.

"Shut up, you hurt my head." Peyton gave her a look of fake sympathy and pouted out her lower lip in an effort for forgiveness. "You big meanie."

"I'm sorry, Hales," Peyton replied. "Do you forgive me?"

"I guess," Haley answered, smiling innocently at her. "I won't want you to start crying on us. Apparently, you have a tendency to do that." Brooke burst out laughing, but stopped immediately with one look from Peyton.

"Sorry."

"Okay," Taylor interrupted as she clapped her hands, tired of the subject that was currently being discussed. "So the food should be here any minute now..."

"You ordered out?" Haley asked. Taylor nodded at her. "Tay, it's your first time meeting my girlfriend and you didn't have the manners to cook us up something?"

"Have you ever had my cooking?"

"Of course."

"Then I figured you'd be thankfully that I didn't drive her away." Haley laughed and nodded her head, deciding that her sister had a good point. She was a horrible cook.

"What are we having?"

"I ordered Chinese," Taylor answered, looking around at the two people she didn't really know. "Is that okay with you two?"

"I love Chinese and P. Sawyer over here eats anything she can, but doesn't gain a pound," Brooke answered, glaring at Peyton. "Have I mentioned how I hate you yet today?"

"Several times," Peyton answered, not really paying attention to her anymore, finding what was on the screen to be more entertaining.

"I should go set the table," Taylor decided, looking at the other blonde. "Would you mind helping, Peyton?" Peyton looked up at the mention of her name. Taylor realized she didn't hear a word she said. "Help in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, sure." She turned the TV off and followed Taylor into the kitchen, leaving the lovebirds alone. As soon as she was sure they were out of the room, Brooke quickly maneuvered herself so she was straddling Haley's lap and leaned forward.

"Hey, baby," she whispered into her ear, as she left feather light kisses on Haley's neck and jaw. "I've been wanting to do that all night."

"Well, for Taylor and Peyton's sanity, I'm glad you controlled yourself." Brooke giggled and continued to kiss her way across Haley's jaw until she found her lips. "I love you." Brooke purged forward and locked their lips in a passionate kiss. Haley's hands found their way into Brooke's hair as Brooke's hands wandered up Haley's shirt to rest on her lower back. After several minutes, Brooke pulled away, out of breath and rested her forehead against Haley's.

"I love you, too."

"I got that," Haley teased, leaving another short kiss on Brooke's lips. Before Brooke couldn't reciprocate there was a knock at the door. "Off you get, babe." Brooke pouted and reluctantly got off Haley. "I'll get the door, you go help set up."

"Okay, baby," Brooke agreed, cheerfully. She kissed Haley one last time before bounding off to join the blondes in the kitchen. Haley shook her head, smiling after her girlfriend. The second knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts.

"The moneys on the mantle," Taylor called from the other room.

"Kay." She walked over to the door, grabbing the money on the way and opened the door. "How much will it be...Nathan?"

"Hey," he greeted her, nervously. He was dressed in his usual tracksuit, hands buried in his pockets. If this was five weeks ago, the sight would have made her melt, but now it did nothing. She looked up in his deep blue eyes that were drilling a hole into her and she felt nothing other than guilt.

"Hey," she greeted back with just as much nervousness. She played with the money in her hands without realizing it. Nathan watched on in amusement.

"Waiting for company?" he asked, motioning to the money in her hands. She followed his gaze and laughed. She smiled at him and put the money in her pocket.

"Tay ordered Chinese."

"Your favorite." Haley smiled, finding it sweet that he remembered. He tore his eyes away from her's and looked past her into the house. "So, this party at Brad's house, you going?"

"I think I might make an appearance," she answered, not wanting to lie or hurt his feelings. It wasn't really until now that she realized she hadn't officially broken things off with Nathan. They hadn't talked in almost an entire month; he was too busy dealing with the Dan/Deb drama to see her. She felt guilty, but quickly forgot it, remembering that he had totally ditched her for a month. Besides they were never really dating in the first place. "Why?"

"I was just wondering if you, maybe, wanted to go together?"

"Nathan, I..."

"Baby, what's taking you so long?" asked Brooke as she came out of the kitchen. She looked surprised to see who was at the door. "Hey, Nate."

"Brooke." He nodded in her general direction.

"What brings you here?" Brooke wrapped her arms around Haley's waist in a possessive way and kissed her pulse point. She rested her chin on Haley's shoulder and looked up to meet Nathan's surprised eyes.

"I was just going to ask Haley a question," he answered, hurt evident in his voice. He shook his head. "But I see that I'm too late. In more ways than one."

"Nathan, I'm..."

"Sorry to interrupt." He started to walk away. Haley pulled out of Brooke's embrace and took a step forward.

"Nathan, I'm sorry," she called. He stopped walking. "I should have told you."

"It's okay," he told her. He turned around. "It's not like you were my property or something. I shouldn't have expected you to wait around for me. It wasn't fair to you."

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

"Tim said something to me earlier today," he explained. "He said that you guys were together, but I didn't believe him." He looked down at his feet. "I guess Tim was right. Who would have thought, huh?"

"Nathan, please..." He held up his hands to stop her.

"It's okay," he repeated. He looked past her to Brooke who was standing in the doorway and they shared an understanding look. He looked back to Haley. "I'll see you around." With that, he was gone. Haley stood stock still on the porch. Brooke walked cautiously over to her and wrapped her arms around Haley. She knew she hated hurting people.

"It's okay, baby," she whispered. She pulled Haley towards the door. "Come on, let's head inside." Haley nodded her head and let herself be pulled back into her house.

**...WWHT...**

Okay, I'm finished for now. I hope it was all to your liking. I hope to update faster next time if I get enough reviews. Later.


	14. To Go or Not to Go

_Author's Note:_ Wow, it's been a while. I didn't realize that it's been so long since I've updated this fic. I'm glad that you are all still liking it, so I hope that you'll continue to review it. I think I know what I want to happen in the next few chapters, but I always change my mind, so you never know. All I can promise is that this is pure Baley and I refuse to break them up so Nathan and Haley can hook up or whatever. Just wanted o make that clear because I've read other fics that change them in the end just because of reviews, but that isn't happening here. Okay, I'm all done now, please enjoy.

**...WWHT...**

"Are you serious?" Brooke asked, flopping down on the bed beside her girlfriend. Haley was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling, while Brooke was lying on her stomach with her arm draped over Haley's belly.

"Why not?"

"Well, for one," Brooke began, moving her head on it's side so she could see Haley's face. "You've never wanted to go to any other parties that one of the players threw."

"And second?" Haley questioned, tearing her gaze off the ceiling to look into Brooke's eyes. Brooke reached up and kissed her lightly on the lips before resting her head on Haley's shoulder and snuggling in closer.

"I don't want you to get hurt," Brooke whispered. Haley raised an eyebrow at her and wrapped an arm around her. She kissed the top of her head.

"Why would I get hurt?"

"Theresa and Tim know about us," Brooke recapped the day. Haley flinched, not wanting to have to think about what had happened earlier that day. She still hadn't heard anything from Luke. "And trust me, those two are the biggest gossiper in the school."

"I'm really trying to picture Tim gossiping," Haley mused, laughing at the image of Tim acting like a woman. Brooke groaned and Haley stopped. "Sorry. Finish what you were saying."

"I'm just saying, if those two know, everyone knows," Brooke explained. She pushed out of Haley's embrace and sat up on the bed. She looked down at Haley and smiled slightly at the view.

"Is that so horrible?" Haley asked. She pushed herself up into a sitting position to face Brooke. "I mean, we already have the reactions of the people we cared about knowing, so it doesn't really matter what they all think."

"I agree," Brooke replied. "I could care less what they think, it's what they're going to say that I'm scared of." Haley's brow scrunched up at her words.

"What do you mean?"

"When I'm walking down the hall holding your hands, I know that people are going to look at us weird, I'm okay with that." Haley nodded, telling her that she understood what she was saying so far.

"Yeah."

"It's when they start to say rude things that I'll start to care." Brooke looked down at her feet. She pulled on the toe of her sock as she waited for Haley to comment on what she had said.

"But you're the almighty Brooke Davis," Haley pointed out with a smirk. That earned her a slap on the arm. "I thought you didn't care what anyone said about you?"

"I don't," Brooke answered in a low voice. She took Haley by the hand and pulled her onto her lap. She warped her arms around Haley's waist and rested her chin on Haley's shoulder. "I don't care what they say about me. But if they even try to mess with my baby, then I'll have to kick their asses."

"That's what you're worried about?" Haley questioned, twisting her head to look at Brooke in the face. "That they'll say something about me?" Brooke nodded. "While that is very sweet, I am a big girl." Brooke smiled and held her tighter, laying a soft kiss on her neck.

"And boy do I know it."

"Tigger," she giggled, trying to pull her head away so Brooke would stop. Brooke finally gave up and stopped her pursuit. Haley laughed at the pout on Brooke's face. "I'm just saying that I'm not a baby..."

"You're my baby," Brooke interrupted again.

"Okay, other than that," Haley corrected herself. "I'm not going to let some stupid things that a jock says bother me." Brooke let out a sigh.

"It's not so much the jocks I'm worried about," Brooke explained. "Most guys have one of two reactions; either 'That's gross' or 'Can I watch?' and the majority of guys at our school are definitely in the later category."

"With the exception of anyone with the last name Scott," Haley muttered bitterly under her breath. Brooke frowned and held her even tighter. "Then they turn it all around and act like they're hurt."

"Well, I can't blame Nathan for being upset," Brooke told her, brushing some hair off of Haley's shoulder. Haley smiled, knowing what Brooke was going to say. "If I ever lost you to someone else, I'd be devastated."

"Well you don't have anything to worry about," Haley assured her. Before Brooke could reply there was a knock at the door.

"Knock, knock," Taylor called, pushing the door open a bit to peek her head through. Haley rolled her eyes and sighed, leaning further into Brooke. "What?" Taylor fully stepped into the room.

"Tay, the whole point of knocking is to wait until the person invites you in," Haley explained. Taylor shook her head, used to her sister always over analyzing things.

"I just did it to give you two time to stop making out," Taylor answered, moving further into the room and sitting down in the computer chair. She spun it around and looked at the computer. "Freaky."

"What?" Haley slowly crawled out of Brooke's lap, much to the other girl's dismay, feeling uncomfortable being that open in front of her big sister. She settled herself comfortably beside Brooke.

"That," Taylor answered, pointing to the screen. "This person's bedroom." Brooke and Haley both nodded, knowing that Peyton's web cam must be on the screen. "Why is there a web cam showing someone's bedroom anyway?"

"It's Peyton's," Brooke answered. "She has this website, Punk & Disorderly, she always has her web cam on."

"Wait," Taylor said, looking back between the two on the bed and bedroom on the computer. "You three don't have some, like, freaky love triangle thing going on, do you? You guys aren't like a threesome, right?"

"Ew, no," Haley exclaimed, making a disgusted face at the thought. It wasn't that Peyton wasn't attractive or anything, it's just that she was one of her best friends and she's just not able to think of one of her friends in more than a friendly way. That's way her and Luke never hooked up and probably why her and Brooke worked out so well, because they were never friends first.

"Cause I could get into that," Taylor added with a laugh. Haley made the most grossed out face she possibly could before throwing her pillow at her. Taylor laughed and dodge it by standing up.

"That's just gross," she whined. Brooke smiled and slipped an arm around her waist. "Please, never say anything like that again. I beg of you."

"Fine, fine," Taylor agreed, holding her hands up in a sign of peace. She picked up the pillow that had been thrown at her and tossed it back at her sister. "I know when I'm not wanted."

"Since when?"

"Ha ha," Taylor responded dryly. "You're a regular stand up, Hay." Haley flashed her one of her famous smiles. "I didn't come up here to be abused."

"Then why did you come up here?"

"Just to let you know that Peyton phoned," Taylor answered, walking towards the door to leave the lovebirds alone. She knew what Haley was going to ask, so she answered before she could. "Call waiting. I was on the phone with mom, when she beeped in. She was just wondering if you guys were going to the party tonight."

"Oh, we don't know yet..."

"I don't care," Taylor cut her off, giving her a smile to let her know that she was kidding. "Just call her back when you decide." She got to the door. "You guys can make out again." With that she was gone.

"You're not gonna end up like that too, are you?"

"God, I hope not," Haley answered, laying her head on Brooke's shoulder. "So, what do you think about the party? You still think we shouldn't go?" Brooke laid her head onto of Haley's, placing a soft kiss in her hair.

"Do you wanna go?"

"Yeah, I do."

"I'll do anything for you, baby," Brooke teased. She laced her fingers through Haley's and held them up. "But if anybody says something, I reserve the right to say 'I told you so' and to kick their ass."

"You got it," Haley laughed. She snuggled into Brooke's arms and they stayed there the rest of the day.

**...WWHT...**

I know that chapter wasn't very good and nothing exciting happened, but I just wanted to lead up to the next one and I thought that you guys deserved an update, even if it was a bad one. Please, tell me what you think. Thanks.


	15. Let's Make Some Memories

_Author's Note:_ Hey, all. I'm so sorry that it's been so long since the last update. I really didn't mean for it to be that long, but real life kind of got in the way and didn't have time to sit down and write anything. But no need to worry anymore, I'm here to ease all your troubled minds and give you an update. I'm not sure what's going to happen in this yet, but I promise that it will be interesting; at least I hope it will be. Enough talking, on with the new chapter.

**...WWHT...**

"Are you two ready yet?" Taylor yelled from the doorway of their house. Peyton had arrived about five minutes ago to drive the girls to the party. They said they would be down any minute now, but that was clearly a lie.

"Just another minute!" Haley called backed down to her. She let out a laugh at the pout on Brooke's face. Brooke was currently lying over top of her, leaning most of her weight on her forearms as she stare down at her girlfriend. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

"But I want to stay here," Broke mumbled, letting her arms go limp and flopping down on top of Haley. At the sudden weight on her, Haley let out a puff of breath. She had to laugh at Brooke's behavior. Brooke rolled over slightly so she was lying on Haley's side instead of on top of her. She wrapped her arm around Haley's waist and buried her face in the other girl's shoulder. "I like it here."

"I like it here too," Haley replied, happy that Brooke was being so loving. Even though she didn't always show it, Haley was constantly worrying about whether Brooke was still attracted to her. "But if we don't get our asses in gear, Taylor or Peyton is going to come in here and catch us."

"That's okay," Brooke mumbled, her reply slightly muffled by Haley's shirt. "I don't care what they think. I wanna stay in here with you." Haley chuckled at her and ran her fingers through Brooke's hair.

"As much as I'd love that too," she began, dropping a quick kiss on Brooke's head. "We promised Pey that we'd go to the party and she won't be happy if we backed out at the last minute."

"She can go with Taylor," Brooke answered. Yes, part of this was because she was dreading going to this party, afraid what people were going to say, but she really just wanted to stay in this room and make out with her girlfriend. "I'm sure she won't mind going to a party full of younger, desperate boys that would be willing to do anything to sleep with her."

"Oh, that's good," Haley commented, referring to Brooke's statement. "That should be your sales pitch when you suggest it to her. I don't see how she could possibly turn you down."

"Shut up," Brooke sighed, playfully hitting Haley in the stomach. Haley pretended to be hurt and pouted, rubbing her hand over the spot that Brooke had just hit.

"Ow," Haley cried over dramatically. "Your fists hurt like a fist, you know?" Brooke looked up at her like she had gone crazy and rolled her eyes, used to her girlfriend's strange antics. Haley smirked and stuck her tongue out.

"You better be careful," Brooke warned, leaning up on her elbow so she was over Haley's lounging form. "I might just take that as an invitation." Haley eyed her for a moment before letting a sexy smile spread over her lips.

"Who said it wasn't an invitation?" Brooke almost choked as she let out a laugh at Haley's words. She was sent into a couching fit for a few seconds before regaining her composure. When she was calm, she shook her head at the innocent look on Haley's face.

"You know, I've always thought you were Heaven sent," Brooke teased, leaning down and kissing Haley softly on the lips. She leaned back slightly, their faces only millimeters apart. "But you are definitely the Devil's child."

"That's what you love about me," Haley smiled up at her. Brooke growled at her before attacking the girl beneath her. She assaulted her neck with wet kisses as Haley's hands wandered on her back and into her hair.

"I should have known," Peyton interrupted from the door. The girl immediately jumped apart, leaving at least two feet between them on the bed. The blonde leaned on the doorframe as she observed her best friends. "You know, Tay said that you guys were making out, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt."

"You'll learn not to do that with us," Haley answered, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room. "When we're not in the room, and we're somewhere together, you can almost guarantee that we're making out." Peyton smirked at her and raised an eyebrow. Haley looked from the blonde in the doorway to the brunette sitting on the bed with her. "Just, you know, for future reference."

"I'll remember that," Peyton replied, amusement laced in her voice. God, nothing made her feel better than watching her friends squirm. She knew they knew she was just kidding around, so she didn't have to worry about hurt feelings. "I'll remind myself never to walk into a room that you two were currently in alone."

"Hey, here's a crazy idea," Brooke cut in, glaring at Peyton, not happy that she cut off her smoothes. "Why don't you knock next time?" Peyton laughed at the suggestion.

"And miss these awkward moments?" Peyton held her hand to her chest in a dramatic manor. "Never." Brooke rolled her eyes and sighed. The girl was impossible to train. She had tried many times over the years, but it never stuck.

"Haha, you're a riot."

"I know," Peyton smiled, taking a bow and smiling at the girls. After a minute she let out a sigh. "Okay, just get your asses up and ready. I'm leaving in five minutes with or without you."

"We're ready," Brooke answered, grabbing Haley's hand and standing them up. Peyton looked them both over and smirked. "What?" Peyton's grin grew wider and she brought a hand to her lips, moving them around, indicating that something was wrong with the girl's lips.

"I'd check the lipstick," she suggested, pushing off the wooden frame and backing out into the hallway. "Five minutes." With that, she was gone. The girls stared at the spot their friend had just been standing in and tried to figure out what she meant.

"What's wrong with our lip..." Brooke began, turning to face her girlfriend. She stopped when she saw the smeared red marks on her face. She smiled warmly at her and reached up to wipe it off. "You're a little smeared."

"You're one to talk," Haley mumbled as Brooke continued to clean up her face. She found it weird that she liked it. When she was younger and her mother used to do this, clean her face off, she absolutely hated it, but when Brooke did it...she felt like the most special thing in the entire world.

"I can imagine." After getting cleaned up and reapplying their makeup, the looked each other over to make sure everything else was okay. Giving each other the thumps up, they linked hands. "Let's go. We wouldn't want to keep Princess Peyton waiting."

**...WWHT...**

Fifteen minutes later, Peyton's car pulled up to Brad's house. The place was already squirming with teenagers, who had the front lawn litter in beer cans and chip bags. They certainly weren't going for low key. They were just lucky that Brad's dad was one of the most important men in Tree Hill, so there was very little chance that the party was going to get busted.

"And they are allowed to do this?" Haley asked as she looked out the window at all the people, some of which were already drunk. She had never really gone to any of these parties, always thinking that it was a complete waste of time. The only high school party she had been to was the one at Nathan's beach house, and everyone knew how that ended, not well.

"When your daddy's the head of the city council you can do anything," Brooke answered from her position beside Haley in the backseat. Peyton sat alone in the front, since Taylor had opted out of joining them. Haley nodded, remembering whose party it was.

"Right," she mumbled, staring at all the people gathered around the house. "That makes sense, I guess." Brooke could tell that Haley was starting to question herself about going into the party, so she wrapped a supportive arm around her waist. Haley smiled at the gesture and turned around. "Thanks."

"You sure you wanna do this?" Brooke asked, eyeing the people herself. She didn't want to go, knowing it was a bad idea in the first place, but Haley wanted to go, so she came. "We can just go to a movie or something. Neither of us really did see Mean Girls, you know?" Haley laughed.

"Ah, it wasn't that great," Peyton added from the front seat. She turned the car off and twisted her body around so she was facing the lovebirds. "I mean, Tina Fey was jokes and that stupid girl, the one that looks like an even faker, more tanned version of Jennifer Love Hewitt was pretty funny too, but other than that..."

"Really not the point here, Pey," Brooke interrupted her. Peyton closed her mouth and smiled at them, embarrass at her outburst.

"Right, sorry."

"I'm ready," Haley decided, looking between the two girls. They both looked at her in surprised, they both figured she would back out. But they should have known better, Haley James never backed out of anything.

"You sure?"

"Yep," she answered, her voice clearly unsure. She took a deep breath and tried that once again. "Yes. I'm ready. Let's go." Without warning, she grabbed Brooke's hand, opened the door and pulled them out. Peyton quickly followed and joined them on the other side of the car.

"So, who's going to be the designated driver?" she asked, looking between the two girls. They looked at each other, then at Peyton. "Okay, since we can all agree that there's no way Brooke is staying sober, and since this is your first real party, Haley, you have to get loaded."

"Then I guess that's your answer," Brooke concluded, sending a smile Peyton's way. God, she loved the fact that no one ever trusted her to the designated driver. She would not be fun of she didn't get to drive. "But I promise not to go over board tonight. I wouldn't want to scare Haley away, now would I?" She leaned over and kissed Haley on the cheek.

"I've stayed this long, haven't I?" Haley replied, enjoy herself already. Then again, they hadn't even stepped on Brad's lawn. "I don't think you could drive me away now if you tried."

"Wait until you see her drunk," Peyton told her as the trio started walking towards the house. Haley and Brooke were holding hands and there were a few people that were staring at them, but not everyone. "She's quite the girl."

"I know." Haley remembered back to the night at Nathan's house and the note that Brooke found. Not to mention the drama the ensued afterwards. To be honest, she wasn't that upset about it in the first place. She had been questioning whether she really had feelings for Nathan or not, and figured that was her way out. "I remember."

"They usually aren't my finest moments," Brooke agreed as they entered the house. The music immediately overwhelmed them and Peyton rolled her eyes. She hated the music they played at these things. But then again, it's kind of hard to dance to the kind of music she liked. If listening to that whore Christina for a couple hours meant she could grind up against her boyfriend, she could take it.

"Oh, Yay!" Peyton cheered with fake enthusiasm. The God-awful music of Avril Lavigne pumped through the stereo. "It's my absolute favoritest song ever." She rolled her eyes. "I need a drink. You guys want?"

"Yeah, just get me one of whatever you're having," Brooke answered, looking around for any signs of Theresa or any other sluts from the squad. So far, she couldn't find any of them.

"Kay," Peyton nodded. "Hales?"

"Not right now." Peyton shrugged and left, pushing her way through the crowd in search of the kitchen. The minute Peyton was out of view, Brooke felt a tap on her should. They turned around to come face to face with Theresa, Bevin and two other members of their ho-posse.

"Didn't think you'd show your face here," Theresa commented, smirking at Brooke and giving Haley a dirty look. Brooke shook her head and narrowed her eyes at the girls in front of her. She squeezed Haley's hand, assuring her that everything would be okay.

"What do you want, Theresa?"

"I just wanted to ask you a question," she replied. Brooke did not like the look that cam across her face. "You're gay, I get that, and I'm even okay with it." Brooke looked at her in surprise. "But you're the almighty Brooke Davis, the most beautiful girl in Tree Hill. You could any girl you want, what I don't understand is why you're with this scrub. She's like so beneath you."

"I suggest that you take about ten feet back and leave before I rip out your stringy, dry hair and choke you to death with it." Brooke was fuming. How dare she say that? Who the hell did she think she is? Nobody talked about Haley like that.

"Whatever," Theresa responded, sending Haley one more disgusted look, before turning around. The other three girls followed behind her. "Just think about it. I'm sure everyone else is." When they were gone, Brooke turned to face Haley.

"I'm so sorry, baby," Brooke told her, taking her face between her hands. She knew that what Theresa had said was one of the things Haley was afraid of. "You know that's not true, right? Theresa's just being a total bitch." Before Haley had a change to answer, Peyton was beside Brooke, two cup full of alcohol goodness in hand.

"What's going on?" she asked, noticing the pained look on Haley's face and the concerned/pissed off one on Brooke's. "What happened? Hales, you okay?" Wanting to forget everything that just happened, Haley reached passed Brooke and grabbed one of the cups out of Peyton's hand. She downed it in two gulps. Peyton and Brooke watched her in shock. "Go, Hales!"

"Better now," Haley answered, looking in the cup to see if there was any liquid left in it. Finding none in there, she frowned. "I'm gonna go get some more of this stuff. It's pretty good." Not waiting for Brooke to reply, she walked away in the direction Peyton had just come from.

"Looks like you got some competition there," Peyton said, laughing at the image of Haley stumping through the crowd. She didn't know she had it in her. Brooke watched Haley's retreating form with a sad face.

"Yeah." She knew that what Theresa said had hurt Haley a lot. She just hoped that Haley didn't go and do something stupid.

**...WWHT...**

All done. I hope you liked. Please tell me what you think and I'll update sooner. Bye.


	16. It's All Fun and Games

Author's Note: Hey everybody. I told you all that I wouldn't be waiting as long to update as last time. In fact it hasn't even been an entire week, I don't think. I had some things planned out for this chapter, but I don't think I'm going to go with those anymore. I'll wait a little bit for that, I think. Okay, so I really hope that you all still like this story, or else I'll stop writing it now. Tell me what you think. Enjoy.

..........WWHT..........

"Hey, can one of you guys fill this up?" Haley asked as she entered the kitchen. She didn't know what to ask for, she was never really a big drinker, but if there was ever a time for it, it was now. The two guys standing near the keg smiled at her and took her cup, filling it back up.

"There you go," he said, handing it back to her. She smiled at them, winked and took a big gulp. The pain she was feeling was certainly starting to lessen. "Whoa, you might want to slow down there, killer."

"Don't worry, I got it," Haley assured him, only stopping her chugging to answer him. She never really understood how people could get drunk, she hated the taste of beer, but right now, it was as if she had never had something so good. "Thanks." With that, she turned on heels only to bump into someone. She looked up at the large person in her way and smiled up at him sweetly. "Lukie!"

"Hi, Hales," he replied, nervously. He only came to this party because Jake dragged him here. He really didn't expect to run into Haley, it was never her kind of scene. Add on what happened yesterday morning in the gym, and he thought that Haley would be staying locked up in her house until the school board came and dragged her out.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Luke was surprised to find her cup filled with beer. Haley James has never had more than one sip of beer at a time in her entire life. After what happened to her brother, Luke didn't think that Haley would ever be stupid enough to get drunk.

"Jake dragged me," he answered, looking passed her to see if he could find Brooke or Peyton anywhere. He knew they had to be here; Haley wouldn't have come by herself. "Where are Brooke and Peyton?"

"Oh, there in there somewhere," she sighed, flipping her arm out, showing that she meant in the living room. Lucas could tell that she was already a little tipsy. Considering Haley had never had that much to drink, he didn't think it would take that much to get her going.

"Listen, Hales, can we go somewhere to talk?" He knew apologizing when she was almost plastered wasn't the greatest idea, but he figured this might be the only way to get her to talk to him willingly. He watched as her smile widened and she nodded her head emphatically.

"Of course," she cheered, spilling some of her beer as she raised her arms in the air. He laughed at the goofy smile on her. He shook his head and took a hold of her arm, to lead her outside.

Bevin had been getting a drink from the keg boys when she saw Haley and Lucas leaving the kitchen, laughing. She couldn't help but notice that Haley was all over Luke in her drunken state. She quickly thanked the boys and ran towards Theresa and the rest of the ho-posse.

"Theresa," she yelled as she approached them. Bevin was the Peyton to Theresa's Brooke. She was the less bitchy one and didn't always approve of the things that her friend did. Normally, Bevin wouldn't have told Theresa what she had just saw, but she thought that Lucas was really hot and didn't think it was fair that the lesbian got to have him.

"God, Bevin, lower the alcohol consumption," Theresa laughed, as Bevin almost tripped on her way over to them. If they learned anything from Brooke, it was never to get drunk at parties. They had seen Brooke make a fool of herself enough times to know that getting drunk wasn't cool. "Has Brooke's past taught you nothing?"

"I'm not drunk," she insisted, finally reaching them. "I just saw hot Lucas and Brooke's new bitch leaving together and they looked pretty happy. I just thought you might want to know." A wicked grin crossed her face at Bevin's words.

"Could this night get any better?" She tried to think of how she could use this information to the best of her advantage. She could go run and tell Brooke, but it wasn't guaranteed that when they got Brooke to wherever the lovebirds were that they would be doing anything.

"Should I go get Brooke?" Bevin could practically see the wheels turning in Theresa's head and knew she would come up with something evil. It probably wouldn't be as bad as something Brooke would think of, she was queen of mean, but Theresa had followed Brooke around long enough to pick up a few pointers.

"No, I think we should just head out there ourselves," Theresa suggested. She remembered the way Lucas reacted to the news yesterday and knew that they were best friends. She doubted that they were getting it on, so she had another idea in mind. She started walking through the house and the others followed her. "Where'd they go?"

"They were heading towards the pool house," Bevin answered, running to catch up with Theresa who was at the head of the group. Once she got there, she fell into sync with the other girl. "So, what's the plan?"

"We're gonna hang around until hot Lucas leaves, then we're gonna have a little chat with Haley," Theresa answered as they made their way across the back lawn. Lucky for them, there wasn't many people back there. After when happened last time, when Tim decided it would be fun to jump off the roof into the pool, the backyard had been off limits. Only two newbies like Lucas and Haley wouldn't know that.

"What makes you think that Lucas will leave?"

"We'll tell him that his mommy is on the phone." They quietly made their way towards the pool house to find Haley and Lucas sitting on the couch and laughing. "He's such a momma's boy. And from what I've been told, Haley's like her daughter too."

"So they're bother and sister?" Bevin asked. Theresa rolled her eyes. God, she needed a new lackey. Bevin was almost dumber than Tim. "And they're gonna do it?"

"They aren't going to do it," Theresa hissed, putting her finger to her lips to tell the other girls to shut up. She didn't want Luke and Haley to hear them. "And they aren't brother and sister, either. Seriously, were you dropped on your head as a baby?"

"Sorry," she mumbled. After receiving another glare from Theresa, Bevin decided it was best to just keep her mouth shut. She peeked through the window to watch as Luke and Haley hugged. "When are you going in?"

"Now. Come one." The other's followed and they moved around to the front door. Theresa knocked on the door once before pushing it open. She plastered a fake smile on her face and hoped that Lucas didn't know about the earlier confrontation. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, Theresa," Lucas greeted, giving her a genuine smile. It totally slipped his mind that it was her that was attacking Brooke the other morning. Haley glared at her but didn't say anything. "What's going on?"

"There's a call for you in the kitchen," Theresa answered, smiling at him. She was more than a little surprised that he wasn't giving her dirty looks. She knew how protective he was about Haley. He must not know about her personal mission to make Haley's life a living hell. "Vegas said that it's your mom looking for you. Something important."

"Oh, thanks a lot," he said, getting up. He had given his mother the number to Brad's house, telling her to call if there was anything. He turned to Haley, how was actually starting to sober up a bit. "You okay here?" She torn her gaze off Theresa and turned to him, giving him a fake smile.

"We're good," she told him. She knew that if Karen was calling it had to be important and she didn't want to keep him waiting. She was sure that Theresa had something to say to her, but she had her drink so if worse came to worse, she could just get wasted again.

"Kay," he said, patting her head like a dog. She laughed slightly at him. "I'll see you inside then." She nodded and he walked towards the door, giving the girls a smile on the way passed. Before long, the girls were alone. Haley shook her head, and reached forward to grab her cup off the table.

"What do you want, Theresa?"

"Just came to have a little chat, woman to scrub," she answered in a mean voice. Haley took a breath, preparing for the verbal assault that she had coming. Maybe letting Luke leave wasn't such a good idea. "If that's okay with you of course."

"Whatever," she muttered. She wasn't going to leave; she didn't want to let Theresa get the best of her. She hoped that if she just let Theresa say what she had to say, then she would leave her alone. And at least in there, it wasn't in front of most of the school.

"So," Theresa began, moving further into the room. Originally, their group was about six people, but half of them decided that they didn't want to have anything to do with what Theresa was up to and had opted to go back into the party. The only two left, Bevin and Lori, followed Theresa into the beach house. "When did you and Brookie hook up?"

"Oh, about a week before none of you business," Haley shot back, relaxing back into her seat. She might as well get comfortable. Theresa let out a laugh and smirked at Haley, clearly impressed.

"You're feisty, you know that?" she said, moving towards the table so she was standing directly in front of Haley. The only thing between them was the glass table with magazines on it. "I like you."

"Then why are you being such a bitch to me?" Bevin and Lori had to stifle a laugh from escaping. Theresa may be able to handle a little bickering, but if there was one thing she hated, it was being called a bitch.

"Because I can be," she snapped back. The little humor she had in her voice was completely gone now.

"And here I thought it was just because you wanted to get into my girlfriend's pants." Haley had seen the way Theresa looked at Brooke. At first, she thought it was just because she wanted to be Brooke, but she soon realized it was because she wanted to be with Brooke. Theresa may not want to admit it, but she was just jealous.

"If I were you, I'd shut your mouth before I smack that smirk off your face." She stared down at Haley and narrowed her eyes. Haley looked up at her, surprised by the sudden change of attitude. Pissing three cheerleaders off when she was by herself where no one could hear her was officially a bad idea.

"So, what did you want to talk about, exactly?" Haley was sure that the girls could hear the fear that was now in her voice. When they had first walked in, she didn't think that things might get out of hand, she thought of Theresa as kind of harmless. But now, judging by the look in her eyes, she was ready to do just about anything.

"I was just going to come in here and bitch at you a lot," Theresa answered, her voice laced with hatred. She knew that Haley was right about what she said about her and Brooke, and she hated that Haley knew how she felt. "But I think I'm tired of talking now."

Haley's eyes widened as she realized that Theresa was being serious. She had heard stories from Brooke about what Theresa had done to some girl that was sleeping with her boyfriend. It didn't sound fun. Bevin and Lori watched as Theresa slowly moved around the table and advanced on Haley. They did not sign on for a beating, but it was too late to run now, so they just stood back in the corner, making sure they were out of the way.

..........WWHT..........

"Where did Haley disappear to?" Peyton asked, as she and Brooke stood back and watched the people dancing. Both girls looked around the room to see if they could find Haley anywhere.

"I don't know," Brooke answered, worry slipping into her voice. "She just said she was going to get more to drink, but that was at least fifteen minutes ago." She was really starting to get worried now. Haley wasn't a big drinker and she already looked a little tipsy when she had left them. She could be anywhere.

"Why don't we go check the kitchen?" Peyton suggested, seeing that Brooke was worried. The blonde grabbed Brooke's hand and started making their way through the crowd to find the kitchen. When they entered, Brooke and Peyton were both surprised to see Lucas standing there. Knowing that Brooke wouldn't go over and talk to him, Peyton pulled her along and walked up to him. "Hey, Luke."

"Oh, hey guys," he greeted, nodding to Vegas as he turned away from him. He saw the glare Brooke was sending his way and decided to talk to Peyton instead. He knew Brooke would be pissed off at him for blowing up at Haley like that. "What's up?"

"We were just looking for Hales," Peyton answered, nudging Brooke on the side to get her to stop glaring at Lucas. "She got sucked in here like fifteen minutes ago. Have you seen her anywhere?"

"Oh, yeah," he answered, nodding his head. "We were just talking out in the pool house." He saw the look Brooke was giving him. "Everything's cool, we're all made up now. No need to go all protective girlfriend on me."

"So, where is she?" Brooke asked, looking around the kitchen to see if she was there. She was happy that Haley and Luke made up, she knew it was bothering Haley even if she tried to deny it. Luke swallowed is drink before answering.

"She's still in the pool house," he explained. "Apparently, my mom called, but Vegas said he had no idea what Theresa was talking about." He shrugged his shoulders and took another sip. It took Peyton and Brooke a moment to register what he said and they looked at each other.

"Theresa?" Peyton asked. He looked at her weirdly, not understanding the fear in her voice. He nodded slowly. "You left her alone with Theresa in the pool house?"

"Yeah," he answered. "Bevin and Lori were with her." Brooke slammed her cup on the counter and ran out the door at full speed in the direction of the pool house, Peyton right behind her. They roughly pushed their way through all the partygoers, ignoring the yells they were receiving.

"Get out of the way!" Brooke screamed, when someone wouldn't move. They finally made it through the crowd and were on the lawn. Brooke ripped off the heels she had worn and started running towards the pool house that was now in view. Peyton was trying to catch up with her.

"Brooke, wait up!" Peyton called after her, finding it hard to keep up with Brooke. Brooke completely ignored her calls, as she continued straight ahead. She had never run this fast in her entire life. She needed to get to Haley before something happened to her. She knew how Theresa could get and she was scared to death that Haley had gotten herself in over her head.

..........WWHT..........

So, what do you all think? I know it might be a little extreme or whatever, but I thought it was a good idea. I really wanted to be able to get this over with so I could get Theresa out of the picture and move on to a different kind of drama. Anyway, if you liked it, please review and I'll update faster. Bye.


	17. Until Someone Gets Hurt

Author's Note: Okay, so I'm officially uber sorry for taking so long to update this story. That was very stupid of me. I promised that if I got a lot of review that I'd update sooner. And I got a lot, and didn't update, so for that I should burn in hell. So, I figured that since I haven't been sent there yet, I'd give all you beautiful people an update. I completely screwed myself last chapter because I'm not sure where I want to go with this, but I will try my hardest to make this one good. Anyway, here you go.

..........WWHT..........

"Brooke, wait up!" Peyton called out to her. Peyton cursed under her breath when Brooke completely ignored her calls and continued running full speed towards the pool house that Haley was in. Peyton was terrified for her best friend so she couldn't even begin to imagine how Brooke was feeling.

"Come, on!" Brooke screamed back. She finally made it to the front door of the pool house. She couldn't see inside so she figured it would be best to wait for Peyton before going inside. Only a few seconds later, Peyton came to a halt right beside her.

"Can you see her?" Peyton asked, leaning past Brooke to try to look through the window. From her position behind Brooke, she couldn't make anything out clearly, but she could hear voices on the inside. "Was that her?"

"I'm not sure," Brooke answered back. She motioned for the blonde to shut up while she tried to listen in. There was silence for a moment and for a second Brooke thought that maybe everything was fine. Then there was a huge crash. Without giving it a second thought, Brooke ripped the door open and ran inside.

"Brooke," Peyton hissed, surprised that she would just go in there blind, without knowing what was going on. Despite her better judgment, Peyton followed her in.

"Get the hell off of her!" Brooke screamed, when she spotted Theresa kneeling over a sprawled out Haley. At the sound of her voice, Bevin and Lori jumped. She sent them a glare and they both quickly ran out of the building, carefully going past Peyton.

"It's Brookie," Theresa cheered, turning her head to look over her shoulder at Brooke. When Brooke moved to take a step forward, Theresa shook her head and tightened her grip on the collar of Haley's shirt. "Nah uh. You wouldn't want your little bitch to get it would you?"

"I swear to God, Theresa," Brooke began, nothing but hatred and rage could be heard in her voice. Peyton looked at her, impressed at her attitude. She had never seen Brooke is pissed off before. "If you touch her again, I'll kill you." Theresa rolled her eyes, disappointed that Brooke couldn't come up with a better than that.

"Oh, come on," Theresa sighed, shaking her head. "You are supposed to be Brooke Davis, the fun queen of Tree Hill. You used to love to pick on her." Theresa shook Haley's collar a few times, jarring Haley's head back and forth. "Now you're screwing the little whore! What the hell happened to you?"

"I grew up," Brooke stated. She was so sick of all this high school bullshit that happened all around her. She used to be just as superficial as Theresa, but when she and Haley got together, she realized how much of it really didn't matter. She didn't need to be head cheerleader, or the most popular girl, or be dating the hottest guy in school to be happy. She didn't have any of that anymore, and she considered herself the happiest girl in the world. And she had Haley to thank for that happiness. "I fell in love."

"Oh, please," Theresa exclaimed. She had a disgusted and judging look on her face, directed right at Brooke. She shook her head and let out a bitter laugh. "You don't love her, no one could. You're just trying to get some kind of shock value out of this. Ever since Britney kissed Madonna, lesbians the new thing, and you just had to jump on the tend train."

Peyton looked back and forth between the two, not sure what to do. She certainly didn't want to say anything; this was between Brooke and Theresa. Obviously, Theresa needed to get over her little infatuation with Brooke and move on with her life instead of pulling a Swim Fan and trying to kill Haley. Didn't she see that Haley wasn't some passing thing with Brooke like all the guys she's ever dated? That Haley is the real thing?

"That is not what this is about," Brooke insisted, pure conviction in her voice. She loved Haley more than anything and she hated anyone who would question that. If she was ever more sure of anything in her life, it was that she wanted to be with Haley for the rest of her life.

"So if it's not to be trendy, than what is it?" Theresa asked. Brooke and Haley couldn't believe that she still didn't get it. Either she was that stupid and blind or she was in complete denial. They were betting their money on the ladder choice. Theresa looked and Brooke than down at Haley, like she was trying to see what was so special about her, but she didn't seem to see it. "I mean, it's not like she's hot or anything."

"Brooke," Peyton warned, when she saw Brooke taking a step forward. Brooke immediately stopped her movements and balled up her fists. Seeing that this conversation wasn't going to solve anything, Peyton decided that she needed to step in. As much as she didn't want to get involved, Haley's safety was much more important to her.

"And I know she ain't giving you any," Theresa continued, paying no attention to the other two girls as she examined Haley. After another moment, she tore her eyes off of Haley's bruised face and turned back to Brooke and Peyton. "So, please, honestly, tell me what you see in her. Why would you be with someone like her..."

"As opposed to someone like you?" Brooke asked, a knowing smirk plastered on her face. She, just like everyone else in the world, knew how Theresa felt about her, how she looked at her. It was the same way that Tim looked at Nathan. It started out as wanting to be just like them into wanting to be with them. Almost all the color drained from Theresa's tanned face before she narrowed her eyes at the other brunette. She couldn't believe that everyone knew.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not blind, Theresa," Brooke teased. She enjoyed watching Theresa's face contort as she thought of what this could do to her social standings. Especially when the cheerleading team found out. If they voted Brooke out of caption of the team, they would definitely do the same to her. "I see the way you look at me."

"Everyone does," Peyton added in. She wasn't sure if pissing Theresa off further was such a good idea when she still had a firm grip on Haley, but it was the only plan they had. "You totally want to get into her pants."

"Told you," Haley chocked out from underneath her. She regretted saying anything when Theresa pulled her up by the collar before pushing her back down, causing her to smash her head against the hard wood floor. She groaned out in pain and waited for the next blow to come. She closed her eyes to prepare herself for the hit, but it never came.

"Brooke!" she could hear Peyton yell. Suddenly she felt Theresa's weight get thrown off of her, and someone at her side. She opened her eyes to find Brooke and Theresa rolling around on the ground a little ways away, Brooke clearly winning. After watching them for a moment, she turned and looked up at Peyton who was kneeling by her head.

"Hey, Pey," she greeted, her voice starting to sound distant even to her ears. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but the kept shutting as if they had a mind of their own. She could hear the sounds of the fight in the distance, but she was more focused on the noises Peyton was making as she moved closer to her.

"Hey, Hales," Peyton whispered back, trying to keep her voice from shaking. She gently lifted her best friend's head, slipping her leg underneath it. When she pulled her hands out from underneath Haley's head, her eyes widened in shock when she saw the blood on them. "Oh, God." She glanced over to find that Brooke had won their little fight and was glaring down at Theresa who was sprawled out beneath her. "Brooke!"

"What?" Brooke glanced over at the two. She did a double take when she saw the blood on the hands that Peyton were holding up. "Oh my God." She quickly got off of Theresa and crawled over to the two girls. As soon as she was off, Theresa bolted to the door.

"She's bleeding."

"I can see that, Peyton," Brooke snapped. She quickly moved to Haley's other side to get a better look at her. She gently reached forward and caressed her cheek softly. "Where's it coming from?"

"The back of her head, I think," Peyton answered. Brooke was known to snap at people when she was panicked, but she knew Peyton was concerned about Haley enough as it was; she didn't need any smart ass remarks from Brooke. "I think she just passed out, but I'm not sure." Brooked leaned down.

"Baby?" Brooke called softly, hoping that Haley would answer her. When she got no reply, she laid a soft kiss on Haley's lips, hoping to wake her up. Still nothing. "Baby, it's time to wake up now."

"She's out," the blonde decided with a defeated tone. Her heart broke when she saw the look of pure devastation on Brooke's face. Just the thought that Haley was hurt made Brooke want to die.

"Call an ambulance?"

"On it," Peyton agreed. She gently lifted Haley's head, placing it in Brooke's lap instead and jumped to her feet, pulling out her cell phone. She took one last look at them before slipping out the door to call the hospital. As she was walking out, Lucas came running across the lawn in a hurry.

"Peyton!" he called out, spotting her curly blonde head. By the time she turned around, he was at her side. He was about to say more when he spotted the blood on her hands. He reached out and grabbed the empty on. "Your hands. What happened?" He had seen Theresa come back inside, all beat up and remembered that she had been alone with Haley.

"Luke..." she began, but was cut off by a voice on the phone.

"911, please state your emergency."

"Yeah, my best friend was just beaten up," Peyton told her, turning her head away from Lucas. As he heard her words, his eyes widened. "Her head and bleeding and she looks pretty bad." Lucas didn't need to hear anymore, he pushed passed her and into the pool house.

"Haley!" he exclaimed when he saw Brooke holding Haley. He quickly rushed to their side to get a better look. After Brooke didn't make any move to explain, he decided to jus ask. "Brooke, what happened?"

"Theresa," was her only answered. Her voice was completely empty and void of any kind of emotion. She had never felt this way before, so scared and empty. She looked down at Haley's white face and felt her heart contrast. She felt like there was a hand around her throat, slowly choking the breath out of her.

Haley was her world. She didn't know when it happened, what day or time, but it did. Over the past month Haley had grown to be the person she loved the most in the world, she was her everything. She wasn't sure what she would do without her. Now, as she watched the unsteady rise and fall of Haley's chest, she was terrified that she was going to have to find out sooner than she thought.

..........WWHT..........

I'm all done for now. I know, lame, but I'm sorry. I worked on this chapter at three different times, so I'm sorry if it doesn't flow. Anyway, if I get a lot of reviews, I will definitely update a lot sooner. Bye.


	18. All News Is Bad News

_Author's Note:_ Hello, to all my faithful readers. I'm really sorry it's been so long, but I come baring an update. I've had sort of a writer's block for this chapter so that's why it's taken so long. I knew exactly what I wanted to happen, but I couldn't think of how to write it. After watching the eppy this week - Near Wild Heaven - I couldn't not do an update, there was so much Brooke/Haley action going on there, I was smiling the whole time. Anyway, that's all I've got to say right now, check back in with me at the end of this chapter. Enjoy.

**...WWHT...**

"Guys!" Peyton called into the pool house from her position just outside the door on the porch. Lucas glanced over at her, but Brooke kept her eyes locked on her girlfriend's face, afraid that if she looked away, she would lose Haley forever. "The ambulance is here."

"Finally," Luke sighed, nodding in Peyton's direction before turning his attention back to Brooke. "Brooke? Brooke, Peyton said the paramedics are here."

"She's not opening her eyes," was the only thing that Brooke would say. She didn't even seem to register Luke's presence beside her. Lucas watched with worried eyes as Brooke gently reached down and caressed Haley's face in a pointless attempt to wake her from her sleep.

"Brooke, she's not gonna wake up," Lucas tried to tell her. He understood that Brooke was worried, he was too, but he didn't think it would do any of them any good if Brooke went into some kind of shock right now. "We have to get her to the hospital."

"Baby, it's time to wake up now," Brooke whispered into Haley's deaf ears. A part of her knew that Haley wasn't going to answer her, but she wanted to believe with all her heart that Haley was just playing around. "Just wake up so I can look into those gorgeous brown eyes of yours."

"Brooke, come on," Lucas tried again as he gently laying a hand on her arm. The only indication she gave that she felt the touch was the slight flinch at the roughness of his hands. She didn't like how big and hard his hands were, she liked Haley's small, gentle ones. The ones that would roam all over her body and make her insides hum with pleasure.

"Where is she?" came a male voice from the doorway. Lucas looked back to find two guys standing at the door with Peyton, dressed down in full hospital clothes. Peyton pointed to where the three were huddled together on the floor and the two men took a step forward, but stopped when she called out to them.

"Wait," she called, stepping in front of them so they couldn't move any further. She held up her hand and glanced back at where Brooke was still whispering to Haley. She turned back to the men. "Just let me talk to her for a second."

"We really need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible," insisted the first guy, eyeing the scene before him. He wasn't sure what exactly was going on or how bad Haley's condition was, but he knew that it was always better to get the patient to the hospital right away.

"She'll tear your balls off," Peyton stated, her voice nothing but serious. Brooke was in a very fragile place right now and if someone tried to get her to do something she didn't want, all hell would definitely break lose. "Just give me a few minutes to calm her down." The paramedics shared a look before they both nodded.

"Fine."

"Just a few minutes." She smiled at them before turning around and walking over to join Lucas and Brooke. She moved around to knell on the other side of Haley so she was able to look Brooke in the eyes. She sent Lucas a glare. He immediately got the message and stood up, walking over to stand by the paramedics.

"She's not waking up," Brooke babbled again, her eyes still locked on Haley pale face.

"Brooke," Peyton called softly, knowing that force wasn't going to do her any good. Brooke never responded to it in a regular situation let alone this kind of one. When Brooke didn't move, Peyton reached out a placed her hand on top of Brooke's on Haley's face. "Brooke, look at me."

"Why won't see wake up?" Brooke asked, her voice cracking as her eyes fluttered up to meet Peyton's. The blonde had to fight down the sudden urge to look away as she saw all the pain in Brooke's eyes. She had never seen Brooke look as broken as did in that very moment. It wasn't until then that Peyton realized that Haley really was Brooke's other half.

"She will wake up," Peyton promised her, regretting it the moment the words slipped past her lips. She knew that they number one rule in situations like this was never to make promises you can't keep. She moved her hand to rest on Brooke's leg. "Those nice men over want to help Haley."

"Help her?" Peyton couldn't help but noticed that Brooke sounded like a little child who was trying to understand the concept of Velcro shoes. Peyton gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile and nodded.

"You just have to let them get to her," Peyton explained, easing into the subject. She was afraid that she would freak out if she had to leave Haley's side. "Do you think you can move back for just a little bit so they can look at her?" Brooke's eyes dropped back down to look at Haley as she nodded her head slowly.

"Okay," was the only verbal permission she offered. Peyton squeezed her leg for support as she signaled the guys over. She took Brooke by the hand and helped her to her feet before leading her over to where Lucas was still standing. Once they reached his side, Brooke leaned almost all her weight against her best friend as she watched the strange men work on her girlfriend, completely ignoring anything that was being said between the two blondes beside her.

"Will she be okay?" Lucas asked, nodding his head in Brooke's direction. Peyton glanced down at her for a moment and shrugged, sending Luke a sad smile. As much as she wanted Brooke to be okay, she was much more worried about the other brunette that unconscious on the floor just a few feet away from them.

"If Haley is." Everything seemed to go by in a blur as the men checked Haley over and decided that they needed to bring her to the hospital to get some x-rays. They moved so fast that the next thing the others knew, Haley was up and on a stretched, being wheeled right past them. It took Brooke a moment to register what just happened before she snapped out of her daze and pulled away from Peyton, moving quickly to follow after them.

"I'm going with her," she stated, leaving no room for argument as she stepped up into the back of the ambulance with her girlfriend. The paramedics decided to was wisest not to mess with her agreed to let her stay. Peyton moved to join her best friends, but Lucas grabbed a hold of her arm before she could get far.

"I want to go," he stated. She looked at him in confusion for a moment, before making a gesture with her hands, indicating that she had no idea what the problem was.

"Then come," she answered, turning back around to walk over to the ambulance. Once again he stopped her. She spun around and looked at him in annoyance. "What?"

"Someone has to tell my mom," he explained to her. He knew that his mom loved Haley like she was her own daughter so she would want to be at the hospital. Peyton continued to look at him like he was crazy. "Can you go and pick her up?"

"No," she answered. "She's your mom."

"And Haley's my best friend," he stated. He looked at her with begging eyes and gave her the biggest pout he could muster. "Please, I really want to go to the hospital with her. Just go and get my mom. Please?"

"Err, fine," she groaned, giving in. She was never able to resist that kind of pout from anyone, especially someone as cute as Lucas. Luke gave her a winning smile and pulled her into a quick hug.

"Thanks, Pey," he cheered. He dropped her, kissed her on the cheek and ran over to ambulance, jumping into the back before they closed the door. Peyton watched as the men got into the front, started it up and pulled away, leaving her alone.

...WWHT...

"Hello?" Peyton called as she banged on the door. She was on her way to the Café when she remembered that Taylor was at home. She quickly turned her car around and headed back towards the James house to get Haley's sister. "Tay, open the door!" When nobody answered, Peyton tried the doorknob and was surprised to find it unlocked.

She walked in and immediately went into the kitchen, deciding that would be the best place to find the other blonde. She spotted a note attached to the fridge and stalked over to it. She grabbed it and read it over quickly. She dropped it on the counter and jogged back to the door, closing it on the way out.

...WWHT...

"Taylor," Peyton called over to the table she saw her at. Taylor was sitting in the corner of a small bar with four other girls, having some drinks. When she finally made it to the table, she looked at Taylor with extreme urgency.

"Hey, Pey," Taylor greeted her with a warm smile. "What are you doing here?" She realized that nobody new each other and shook her head. She turned to her friends and pointed to Peyton. "This is Peyton, one of Haley's best friends.

"Hey," Peyton snapped at them, really not in the mood for pleasantries at the moment. Taylor looked taken aback at her attitude. Peyton ignored her and grabbed a hold of her arm, trying to pull her out of the booth. "Come on, we've got to go."

"Where are we going?"

"Hospital," Peyton answered. That single word sent a chill down Taylor's spin and she felt a hand clench over her heart. "Something happened at the party. Brooke and Lucas are already down there. Let's go." Taylor apologized to her friends, which they waved off – telling her she needed to go and followed Peyton out of the bar.

...WWHT...

"Taylor James?" Karen exclaimed as she saw her walk in with Peyton at her side. She was so surprise to see her that she didn't notice thee grave looks on the girls' faces. "It's been way too long since the last time I saw you."

"Hi, Karen," Taylor sighed as the older woman pulled her into a warm hug. Karen noticed the sadness in her voice and pulled away to find a matching look of despair on both of their faces.

"What's going on?" she asked in a shaky voice. She looked back and forth between Peyton and Taylor for answers. Finally, Peyton stepped up.

"It's Haley."

...WWHT...

"Where is she?" Taylor called out as soon as the three of them entered the waiting room area. At the sound of her voice, Lucas jumped up from his chair and ran over to them, hugging Taylor first then his mom.

"Have you guys heard anything?" Peyton questioned, her eyes wandering to where Brooke was sitting alone at the other end of the room. He looked to Lucas and he shook his head, sadly. "What's up with her?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "She hasn't said a word since we left Brad's house. She won't let me come near her, she just sits there." Karen knew what her son must be feeling and she laid a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"I'll go try to talk to her." Just as Peyton was about to move over to comfort Brooke, a doctor came strolling out of the double doors, with a chart in his hands. Before anyone else had a chance to react, Brooke was out of her seat and at his side in an instant.

"How is she?" she asked, looking up at him with begging eyes. She needed to know if Haley was okay, and she needed to know now before she went completely insane. "Is my girlfriend okay?" The doctor looked down at her, his eyes full of sympathy.

"I have some good news and some bad news." Brooke's heart dropped her feet and she felt all the air leave her lungs. Bad news? She couldn't deal with that right now, not ever. She felt her eyes start to water as she squared her shoulders and looked up at him, ready to hear the news.

**...WWHT...**

See? I told you it was going to be bad. I'm really sorry it wasn't that great, but I promise that next chapter will be better and hopefully there won't be such a long wait. Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that I made a great banner for this story, so if you want to see it, just ask me in you review and I'll be happy to send it to you. Thanks.


	19. No Matter What

_Author's Note:_ Hey, all. I'm sorry it's been so long, but I'm working on a one shot Baley songfic. So far it's going pretty good, but it's longer than I thought it was going to be. The song is View From Heaven by Yellowcard, so that will kind of give you a little hint as to what it's going it to be about. Anyway, just wanted to let you guys know that I'm not just sitting here on my ass doing nothing. I'll try to get that up for you as soon as possible and maybe even an update for my other Baley story, Fifteen Years In the Making. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**...WWHT...**

"Give it to me straight, doc," Brooke said, trying to keep the wavering out of her voice. She was pretty much jello on the inside, but she felt as if she had to keep up a brave front for all of the people around her. She knew that all the people in the room were scared to death, just like she was. They all loved Haley too and that gave Brooke at least a little bit of comfort.

"To us," Peyton corrected, moving over to stand beside Brooke. She understood that Brooke felt that she was the leader of this little party because she's been the most intimate with Haley or whatever, but Peyton wasn't going to let her be the only one worried. She wanted to know how Haley was just as much as Brooke did.

"Actually," he stated, looking between the five people that were waiting for news on his patient. "Is anyone here family of Ms. James?" Everyone quickly answered yes, feeling that they were close enough to Haley to consider her family.

"She's my best friend," Peyton and Lucas answered.

"She's practically my daughter," was Karen's answer.

"I'm her girlfriend," came Brooke's voice, her's being the loudest one. Everyone was so focused on getting to hear about Haley that they completely forgot that they had an actual blood relative standing no more than two feet away.

"I need immediate family to disclose this information to you," the doctor answered. He watched all their faces fall before he noticed the girl standing off to the side. "What about you? What's your relation?"

"She's my baby sister," Taylor answered, glancing over at the others with an amused grin. She was glad that her sister had so many people that cared that much about her. She knew that Haley couldn't count on their parents, so it was good that she had other people to go to.

"Why didn't you speak up before?" he asked, eyeing her. She shrugged her shoulders and took a few steps forward so she was standing with the rest of the group.

"I thought I'd wait until these fools figured it out," Taylor answered, smiling sweetly at the others. They all rolled their eyes before looking down at the floor in an embarrassed fashion. She shook her head and looked up at the man that knew the fate of her dear sister. He expression became very serious as she looked up at him. "So, what's the deal? Is she alright?"

"Like I said before," he answered, glancing down at the folder that was attached to his clipboard. He had so many patients and so little time. "There's good news and bad news. Which would you like first?"

"The bad news?" Taylor answered, but it came out more as a question than anything else. She was really starting to get worried about her sister and the doctor's hesitance to answer her question was only proving to heighten her fear. She glanced back at Brooke to see if that answer was okay with her. When the brunette nodded she turned back to the doctor. "I think we're going with bad news, doc."

"As you wish," he sighed. As much as he hated giving bad news to people, the thrill of giving them good news sometimes was enough to make it worthwhile. "Your sister, or you friend," he said, looking passed Taylor to the worried people behind her. "Is going to have to stay the night or observation."

"That's a bad thing?" Peyton asked, totally uneducated when it came to hospital matters. The only time she had ever been in one was when her mother died. She was never really fond of the place for that reason, but she was more than willing to be here for Haley.

"No, it's usually just procedure," he answered with a smile. "Ms. James is going to be fine. The blow to her head caused nothing more than a slight concussion, I'm happy to report." Most of the visitors let out sighs of relief, but Brooke wasn't completely convinced of her girlfriend's condition just yet.

"So that's all?" Brooke asked, not wanting to get her hopes up. Brooke was never good in this kind of situation, even though she'd never really gone through something like this. No one she's ever loved has been hurt like this before. She certainly didn't like those feelings that were being stirred up in her. Right now, all she wanted to do was go find Haley and hold her forever. "She's fine."

"Right as rain," he answered, his smiled widening when he saw the light return to Brooke's eye right in front of him. "The bleeding that started, it was just from a cut on the back of her head. Most likely the result of the girl's ring."

"But there was so much blood," Peyton interjected. She unconsciously wiped her hands on her pants as if there was still Haley's blood all over them. Peyton could still remember the smell of it on her hands; it made her sick just thinking about it. She was afraid that she was never going to be able to look at her hands again without picture red all over them.

"Head wounds tend to bleed a lot," he explained, smiling gently at Peyton. He noticed that she was playing with her hands. He could only imagine what it felt like to have a loved one's blood on your hands. "But I assure you all, that she is fine. You can ask her yourself."

"She's awake?" Brooke questioned, practically jumping up and down. If it weren't for the hand that Karen had laid on her shoulder when the doctor arrived, she would have been up in the man's arms by now. "We can see her?"

"She was actually looking for you." The moment Haley had woken up, she has asked for Brooke. The doctor wasn't exactly sure which one Brooke was, but he could only assume it was the girlfriend. "You're Brooke, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Brooke answered, distractedly. She was only told two seconds ago that she could see Haley, but she was already dying from the wait. "What room is she in?"

"Why don't you follow me?" Brooke nodded, turning around and giving everyone a hug before she left. "You all can visit in a little bit. Visiting hours are over all ready, but I'll give you a chance to see her before you leave." They all nodded and when Brooke untangled herself from Taylor's arms, she turned back to the doctor.

"Lead the way," she instructed. He nodded and they started towards the elevator to get to Haley's room.

...WWHT...

Brooke and Lance, as she had learned his name to be on the way up, were just rounding the corner to the hallway that Haley's room was in. Once they reached Haley's door, Brooke peaked in and saw Haley sitting there. Wasting absolutely no time, Brooke pushed the door open and barged inside.

"Baby," she cried, running over to the bed and wrapping Haley up into her arms. Lance decided that he should leave them alone to give them their private time. He motioned to the nurse that was standing beside the bed to come with him. She nodded and slowly walked out of the room. "Oh, baby."

"Hey, Tigger," Haley greeted in a light tone, laughing at the way Brooke was kissing her. Brooke moved her lips all over Haley's face, wanting to cover every inch with feather light kisses. "I could get used to this kind of greeting."

"You have no idea how much I missed you," Brooke sighed, ceasing her assault and pulling back to get a good look at Haley. She wanted to remember what Haley's face looked like, memorize it so se would always be able to picture it in her mind.

"I didn't go anywhere, silly," Haley reminded her. She shifted in her bed carefully; moving over to the side so there was room for Brooke beside her. Brooke carefully climbed up onto the bed and got into a comfortable position. She lifted her arm and Haley laid down in them so her head was resting on Brooke's shoulder, her arm draped across Brooke stomach.

"I thought I'd lost you," Brooke whispered in Haley's hair. She closed her eyes as those horrible feelings washed over her again. She had never felt that way before, and just thinking about it now was enough to make her sick to her stomach again. She kissed Haley's hair softly. "What were you thinking making that smartass comment?"

"I don't know," Haley sighed, a smile creepy onto her lips. Even though she scared everyone and she had a killer headache now, seeing the look on Theresa's face when she said that made it all worth it. She would never forget how good it felt to say that to her. "It just felt like it needed a smartass comment. And hey, I learned from the best."

"Was that some kind of dig at me, missy?" Brooke asked with a light laugh. When she heard Haley's giggle, she thought that her heart might burst. There was a point not even an hour ago that she was afraid she'd never hear that again. She sighed in contentment and tightened her hold on her girlfriend. "I'm serious though, baby, I was so scared."

"I know," Haley whispered, snuggling in closer. "And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, I should have just kept my mouth shut."

"I'm really not one to talk when it comes to that," Brooke replied, a slight smile coming to her lips. "I think we both know that I like to say things when I should just shut up."

"Ah, but that's one of the things I love about you," Haley laughed. She picked up Brooke's hand that was lying on her thigh and began to play with it. Brooke remained quite, happy to just watch Haley. After a few more moments for silence, Haley finally spoke up. "Tigger?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Before," she started, her voice much more quite than it had been just moments before when they were talking. "Back at the party, even before the thing in the pool house, about what Theresa said when we first got there..."

"Yeah," Brooke breathed out after Haley trailed off, leaving the question hanging in midair. Brooke knew that they were going to have to talk about that, she just hoped that after what happened in the pool house, Haley would have totally forgotten about it.

"I was thinking about it all night," Haley revealed. Her whole conversation with Lucas was almost one sided as her mind was off thinking about the harsh words that had been exchanged between Brooke and Theresa. "And I realized when you guys were talking in the pool house ... she's right. I am beneath you."

"Baby, no," Brooke said, trying to make her voice forceful in an attempt to convince Haley that she didn't feel that way at all. "You can't honestly tell me that you think I believe that."

"But it's true," Haley stated. "You don't see my friends, you don't see Lucas or Skillz or Mouth or Fergie or Junk or anybody coming up to you and saying that you're not good enough for me. That's because I'm not good enough for you. You are the most beautiful thing in this town. Hell, probably in this state at the very least, and I'm just Tutor Girl."

"Hey," Brooke called softly, whispering it into her ear. Haley immediately calmed down when she felt the soft breath on her neck. "I want you to stop with this nonsense." Haley turned her head to try to protest, but Brooke silenced her with a single finger on her lips. "I thought you were supposed to wear the smarty pants in this pairing. Why are you being so incredible stupid?"

"I'm just stating the obvious."

"Yeah, that you're stupid," Brooke laughed. At first she was dreading this conversation because she couldn't stand to hear all that pain and insecurity in Haley's voice, but after hearing how silly she was being about all of this just made it almost funny to her.

"Thanks, Tigger," Haley shot at her sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and turned her head away from Brooke again, burying her head back into Brooke's shoulder. "You know this is supposed to be a pep talk, right? It doesn't really work when you keep calling me stupid."

"You'd have to be if you believe that crap you were feeding me," Brooke answered, shaking her head. She brought the hand that Haley had been expecting up and ran it through Haley's hair in an attempt to calm her down. "I don't know when you got the idea that whatever Theresa says is anything but complete BS, but you need to remember that she's nothing but a bitch."

"I know that, I was just..." Haley trailed off as she tried to remember what her argument was. Brooke was right; Theresa was full of shit and Haley knew that. Theresa was the girl that got off on making others feel like crap. Haley knew this too. So why did she take the thing Theresa said so seriously? "You're right."

"I am," Brooke stated. "You know, it'd save us both a lot of time if you could just remember that for future reference." This actually got a chuckle out of Haley. "Is that the sounds of common sense I hear?" Haley rolled her eyes and playfully smacked Brooke on the leg.

"So you don't think Theresa's right about me?"

"How can you even ask me that?" Brooke decided that it was time to stop answering all of Haley's questions with another question. She needed to stop beating around the bush and actually say the words that will squash Haley's fear.

"I don't know, I just..."

"Baby," Brooke called, cutting her off before she could say anything else. Haley stopped in mid sentence and looked up at Brooke. Brooke reached out and rubbed soft circles on Haley's cheek with the pad of her thumb. "I don't know who caused you to think you were anything less than the most beautiful person in the world, but I'm here to tell you that you are."

"Tigger..."

"You are more than good enough for me," Brooke continued, in a harder tone so Haley would know not to interrupt her again. "Hell, you're too good for me. I don't know if you're aware of this, but I wasn't the greatest person before being with you, but you changed me. You made me a better person and if that doesn't show you what an amazing person you are than you're even more stupid than I thought."

"I get it, Brookie," Haley assured her. "You can stop calling me stupid now." She didn't know how she did it, but Haley was amazed at how Brooke never failed to make her feel better. No matter, she always knew she could count on Brooke when it felt like things were closing in on her.

"Okay," Brooke laughed. Haley repositioned herself so she was facing her girlfriend. Brooke brought her other hand to cover Haley's other cheek and pulled her closer, bringing their lips together in a soft but passionate kiss. Both found it amazing how they could share so much with just a single kiss. When they finally pulled apart, Brooke rested her forehead against Haley's and looked deep into those beautiful brown eyes that she had been terrified she'd never see again. "I love you, Haley James."

"I love you too."

"You mean everything to me," Brooke continued, massaging Haley's pale skin with her warm fingers. "I don't know when it happened, or how I missed it, all I know is that it's true." Brooke closed her eyes for the briefest moment to try and stop the tears at the memory of seeing Haley so broken. "When I saw you lying there, when I thought that you were going to die... In that moment, I wanted to die too because wherever you are, that's where I want to be."

"Sweetie," Haley tried to say, but the words were brought to a halt when her lips were meet with Brooke's again. This kiss was less intense and more loving. Its primary purpose to show Haley how much she loved her.

"Just promise that we'll be together forever," Brooke instructed her. She knew she sounded crazy, maybe even suicidal, but she didn't care. She looked straight into Haley's eyes. "Just promise me that, please, because I think I'd die if this ended even a day short of forever."

Haley didn't know what to say. She had never seen Brooke so vulnerable before. Usually, it was Haley that needed the reassurance in this relationship and Brooke would be there to tell her that she loved her. Now Brooke was openly crying, practically begging Haley to promise her something that neither of them really could.

"I..." Haley tried, but found it almost impossible to form a coherent sentence when Brooke was searching her with those lost puppy dog eyes. Haley let out a light, soft laugh, showing Brooke just how choked up she really was at her words. Haley reached out and took gentle hold of Brooke's chin so they were looking directly into each other's eyes. "I promise you, Brooke. It doesn't matter what happens today or tomorrow or a year from now. I don't know where I'll be ten years from now, but I know it's going to be with you. I can feel it in my heart; you and me are in this for the long run. There's no turning back."

"If it's even possible, I love you more," Brooke told her, leaning forward to capture her lips in another soft kiss. The salt from their mixed tears didn't even faze them as they sought the comfort of each other's mouths.

They were soon lying back on the bed, just content to be with each other. There was nothing being said because everything they could have possible said had already been spoken. They just wanted to try enjoying and basking in their love.

**...WWHT...**

I don't have the energy to reread this right now and I really want to get it up tonight, so if it blows, I'm really sorry. I'll read it tomorrow and if it's really horrible, I'll have to fix it up. Anyway, please tell me what you think. Thanks.


	20. A Whole New Set of Problems

_Author's Note:_ Hey, everyone. Sorry that it's been a while, but I got caught up in my schoolwork again. God, I hate school. Anyway, I'm here to drop off a shiny new update for you. I hope you like it and thank you to all of those that have been reviewing the past few chapters, it's you guys that keep me updating. So, please, keep reviewing and I'll keep updating. Enjoy.

**...WWHT...**

"Okay, seriously, Tay," Haley complained, trying to push her sister off of her. She was finally being released from the hospital, and even though it was only a night, it felt like forever to Haley. She had always hated hospitals, ever since she was little and her grandma died when she was sitting at her bedside.

"What?" Taylor exclaimed, keeping a firm grip on Haley's arm. "I'm just trying to make sure that you're okay." Haley rolled her eyes. She understood that Taylor was just trying to be sweet and caring, but she really didn't need help walking.

"And I'm thankful for that, but I think I've got it," Haley told her. Taylor looked at her for a second, trying to decide whether she was really okay of not. Finally, she relented and let go of Haley's arm. "Me and my arm thank you."

"Yeah, yeah," Taylor mumbled. She watched Haley with careful eyes, trying to decide if she needed any help. The doctor had told them all that Haley was perfectly fine, and when she went into her room last night to visit with her, she seemed to be just that, but that didn't stop Taylor from worrying.

"Would you stop worrying?" Haley asked with a knowing smile. She knew her sister much too well, and she could tell that she was completely stressed about the whole thing. "There is nothing to worry about, okay?"

"Well, I'm the big sister," Taylor reminded her as if she that was the perfect reason for her worry. Haley rolled her eyes and moved towards the stairs. "Don't roll your eyes at me."

"Whatever you say, big sister," she laughed as she grabbed the banister and began walking up the stairs. "I'm just gonna go hit the sack. The doctor said I was allowed t sleep for a little bit now if I wanted."

"Enjoy."

"Wake me up if..."

"Brooke calls?" Taylor finished for her. Brooke had left the hospital earlier that morning, claming that she had to meet with her mom for their monthly catch up. Even though Haley tried to act cool, Taylor could tell that she was sad that Brooke wasn't there with her now. She was so used to having the cheerleader with her at almost all times a day lately and it was weird for them to be separated.

"Am I that lame?" Haley asked. She didn't want to sound like a lovesick puppy dog, but she really missed her girlfriend and couldn't wait until Brooke got done with her mom so she could tell her how much she missed her.

"Yeah," Taylor laughed, giving her sister a warm smile. She was more than happy to see her sister so happy and the fact that Brooke was a great girl was a complete bonus. All she ever wanted for her sister was for her to be happy. "But you're just in love, baby. That's the best kind of lame."

"Tell me about it." With one more wink from Haley and a laugh from Taylor, the girls went their separate ways. Haley made it up to her room without trouble and flopped down on her bed. She tossed and turned for a few minutes, trying to go to sleep, until she finally gave in and reached for the phone.

**...WWHT...**

"I already told you," Brooke sighed, placing her fork on the table beside her plate and staring her mother down. It wasn't that she hated her mother, she really did love her, but she couldn't stand her sometimes. "No."

"But, honey, you two would just be so perfect together," Angela insisted, ignoring her daughter's protests. She had it on good authority that Brooke wasn't seeing anyone at the moment and she had the perfect boy in mind. "Calvin is going to be a doctor."

"That's really great, mom," Brooke responded, rolling her eyes. She didn't know why she didn't just come out and tell her mother about Haley, it would help to avoid this entire conversation. Though, telling her about Haley would no doubt start up a much more unpleasant conversation. "But again, I'm not interested."

"And why not?"

"I'm just not, okay?" Brooke just wished that her mother would drop the subject, but she knew that wasn't going to happen. She reached forward and brought her glass up to her lips for a sip before placing it back on the table, letting the cool liquid flow down her throat. "Can we please just drop it?"

"Very well," Angela agreed with a sigh. She knew she'd get Brooke to agree to the date eventually, so she decided she would give up for now. "Tell me then, is there anything else new and exciting in your life?"

"Not really," Brooke said, lying through her teeth. She still didn't understand why she had to be there, it was completely pointless. Her mother and father were hardly ever home, and even when they were they were never at the house. But once a month her mother insisted that they get together and have breakfast in the dining room so she could keep up with her daughter's busy life.

"What about Peyton?" she questioned, having to think of the girl's name for a few moments. She wasn't good with names, she just knew she had curly blonde hair and had been Brooke's best friend since they were five. "How is she doing?"

"Uh, she's doing good," Brooke answered, raising an eyebrow at the question. She wasn't sure why her mother was asking about her friend, she had never done that in their past meetings. "Why?"

"No reason," she answered as she cut her fruit up and brought a piece to her mouth. She eyed her daughter, trying to decide what was the best way to go about asking the question. If Brooke was fighting this hard to avoid being set up, then she was obviously seeing someone. "So, are you sure you're not seeing anyone?"

"For the hundredth time..." Before Brooke had a chance to finish her sentence, she heard her phone ringing in her pocket. She looked at her mother to see if she was allowed to answer it. When she saw her mother nod her head and get up to bring some dishes into the kitchen, Brooke took that as a yes and pulled out her phone. She flipped it open and smiled when she saw the name 'Baby Girl' flashing on the screen. She quickly hit the talk button. "Hey, baby."

"Tigger," Haley cheered, more than happy to hear her girlfriend's voice. It had been driving her crazy to be away from her for so long and she was surprised at how much better she felt now that she heard her voice. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Well, you're my Baby Girl, aren't you?" There was nothing that could make her feel better than talking to Haley. Just hearing her voice made this meeting with her mother that much more bearable.

"That's what I've been told," Haley replied with a smile and giggled. "I was just trying to take a nap, but I couldn't stop thinking about you so I thought I'd give you a little break from your breakfast from hell."

"Aren't you just the sweetie pie?" Brooke laughed. "How'd things go at the hospital? Any trouble after I left? None of the hot nurses tried anything on you, did they? Cause they'd need a doctor after I got through with them." She felt terrible that she couldn't stay with Haley at the hospital the whole time, but if she canceled on her mom, it would definitely look weird.

"There was this uber fine one," Haley began. "But she wasn't a nurse. She just kind of showed up in my room after I woke up. I think she said her name was Brooke or something. I can't remember, but I know she was fine."

"I think I remember that one," Brooke laughed, playing along. She loved when Haley got all cute like this, it was times like these that she couldn't figure out how she had ever missed her all those years. "Oh no wait, I think you're talking about me."

"Of course," Haley giggled, turning over on her side so she could see the picture of her and Brooke she had put on her nightstand. "You're all I ever talk or think about, don't you know that by now?"

"Yeah, I do," Brooke answered honestly, knowing the feeling herself. She wasn't used to this feeling. It was like she almost couldn't stand to be away from Haley for more than an hour at a time. "I'm so glad that you called. My mother is driving me crazy. She keeps trying to set me up with one of her friend's son. He's going to be a doctor."

"Well, I'm gonna be a journalist, so beat that, sucka." Brooke's heart almost at the adorableness that was her girlfriend. The biggest smile imaginable appeared on Brooke's face and she wished beyond anything that she could see Haley's face right now. She could just picture Haley trying to look tough, with her lips purged and her eyes narrowed.

"God, I love you."

"Everyone does," Haley commented, a slight blush creepy up on her cheeks even though Brooke wasn't there. It was just something about Brooke that always got Haley nervous. "So breakfast is really that bad?"

"No, I guess it could be worse," Brooke answered, unaware that her mother had come back into the room. Angela saw that her daughter was on the phone and judging by the tone of her voice and smile on her face, she was obviously talking to someone special. She folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe to listen. "I could have to wait all day to see you."

"When are you gonna be done again?"

"I'm not sure," Brooke answered, playing with the end of the tablecloth. The material of it reminded her of one of Haley's shirts. The patterning was completely different, but it felt exactly the same. "Hopefully soon. I can't wait to see you, though. Just thinking about you is driving me insane."

"I know the feeling," Haley commented with a smirk. She hugged the pillow that was in front of her and snuggled further into it, pretending it was Brooke. As sad as it sounded, she felt like she couldn't sleep without Brooke beside her. "But we'll see each other soon enough, right?"

"Right," Brooke answered with an affirmative nod. "But until then, you need to get some sleep, missy. My little Tutor Girl needs to be well rested if she's going to help me pass my history test." Angela's eyes perked up at the implication of gender and she raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow. That she was not expecting.

"I'll try, but it's hard without you with me." She sounded like a baby, she knew that, but she really didn't care at the moment. That was another great thing about dating Brooke; she never had to worry about being something different than what she really is.

"Aw, baby," Brooke sighed, now missing Haley more than ever. There was nothing she loved more than holding Haley. "I'll be there to cuddle with you when I'm done breakfast, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

"Yeah, okay," Brooke repeated in a teasing tone. "I think I better leave you to your sleep, huh? I love you, baby."

"Love you, too." The girls said their goodbyes and both hung up. Brooke smiled at the phone as she slowly closed it, happy thoughts of Haley running though her head. She was brought out of her trace by the sound of a throat being cleared behind her. She jumped up and brought a hand to her chest to calm her heart.

"God, mom," she cried, turning around to glare at her. She was so surprised at the sound that she didn't even realize that her mother could have overheard any of her conversation. "You scared me half to death. When did you come back in?"

"Around when you were complaining about breakfast," she answered, her face completely unreadable. Realization that her mother had heard her conversation finally hit Brooke and her eyes widened in panic. "Who is she?"

"Huh? Who is who?" Angela shook her head and pushed herself out of the door, walking further into the room. She pulled her chair out and sat back down in it, and leaned her elbow on the table and eyed Brooke.

"You're little girlfriend," she explained with a wave of her hand, nodding her head to where Brooke's phone was on the table. Brooke felt her heart drop to her feet. She didn't want her mother to find out about Haley for a reason. Angela Davis was not an open-minded kind of person. If there was one thing she wouldn't tolerate, it was gays.

"Please, can we not start with this?"

"What is her name, Brooke?" she asked again, her voice much more stern this time. Brooke looked at her helplessly before sighed in defeat.

"Haley," she whispered just loud enough for her mother to hear her. She saw that her mother was about to say something and quickly continued. "Her name is Haley James, she's not rich and she's not a cheerleader. She's worked at Karen's Café as a waitress for more than two years now and she has the highest GPA in our grade. She tutors kids in almost every subject and I love her more than anything."

"Well," Angela replied, surprised at Brooke's little outburst, especially the last part. She didn't think that her daughter would ever be as foolish as to fall in love with someone, and someone that wasn't rich at that. "She sounds like a lovely girl."

"What?" Brooke asked, not believing that her mother wasn't freaking out about this. For a moment she actually considers the possibility that aliens abducted her mother and replaced her with this pod person.

"She sounds lovely," Angela repeated with a tight smile. She didn't know what had gotten into Brooke while she was gone, but she was certainly going to straighten this whole thing out. No daughter of her's was going to be seen with a poor girl. "I'd really like to met her."

"You would?"

"Of course," she laughed. "Why don't you invite her and her parents over to dinner tomorrow night? I'd really like to met them as well." Brooke eyed her mother for a moment, trying to decide whether she was serious or not.

"Uh," Brooke stuttered. "Her parents aren't really around a lot, Karen practically raised her." Brooke had never even meet Jimmy and Lydia James, but she hated them. They were much worse than her own and that says a lot.

"Then invite Karen to come along too," Angela told her. Without waiting for an answer, she took on more sip of her drink before standing up. "I have to meet up with your father, so you're free to go." She walked around the table until she was standing beside Brooke and bend down to kiss her on the hair. "This was fun. We should do this more often."

"Yeah, a blast." She didn't even notice her mother leave nor did she hear the front door click shut. She just stared straight ahead, not believing the conversation that she has her mother. Her mom knew she was dating Haley and she didn't have a problem with it? Had she just invited Haley and Karen over for dinner? There was definitely something going on and Brooke had a really bad feeling about the whole thing.

**...WWHT...**

Sorry, if that's not good. I wasn't really sure where I wanted to take this next but I think I have a few more ideas for this story before I bring it to an end. Anyway, please tell me what you think. Thanks.


	21. Trip Down Memory Lane

_Author's Note:_ Hey, sorry that it's been so long since I've updated this, but I've been really busy lately. But I'm here and I come baring an update just for you Baley fans. It's basically just a transition chapter, but there should be lots of Baley in it, but we'll have to wait and see.

**...WWHT…**

"I'm coming," Taylor called out in a hushed yell, moving quickly towards the front door before the person knocking could wake her baby sister. She had gone up to check on Haley a few minutes ago and was happy to see that she had finally fallen asleep, she didn't need her being woken up.

"It's just me," Brooke's voice came through the door. After announcing her presence, Brooke didn't feel the need to wait for Taylor any longer and just opened the door and stuck her head in, giving the blonde a big smile. "Hey."

"Oh, hey, Brookie," she greeted with a smile, stopping her movements towards the door. Brooke closed the door and began to take off her jacket. "I thought you were having breakfast with your mother."

"I've survived," Brooke answered, shrugging it off. Taylor could tell that something was bothering her; she was a big sister after all. "She found out about me and Hales."

"Whoa," Taylor sighed, surprised at the new information. It was something they were all silently dreading, but hadn't talked about yet. They all knew that neither set of parents would be too pleased with their daughters' relationship. "How'd that go?"

"I'm not sure," Brooke answered. Her mom had seemed okay enough with the idea, but Brooke knew her better than that. There was no way that her mother would be totally cool with her daughter being in love with another girl. She definitely had something up her sleeve. Brooke just wasn't sure what it was yet.

"What did she say?"

"Nothing really," Brooke shrugged. "She did invite Hales and Karen over for dinner tomorrow night. She said she really wanted to meet them." Even Taylor could tell that there was something strange going on and she hadn't even meet Angela before.

"That should be fun," she commented, taking Brooke's jacket out of her hands and throwing it over the banisher. "What do you think she's up to?"

"I'm really not sure," Brooke answered. She had thought about it her whole way there and she still wasn't sure. Her parents were the best when it came to lying and manipulating, they were just second behind Dan Scott. "I'll ask Hales is she's willing to risk it and if she says yes then we'll just have to wait and see."

"Sounds like a plan," Taylor answered, nodding her head. She wasn't so sure it was such a good idea to have dinner with Mrs. Davis. If there was one thing she knew, it was that a rich, white-collar woman like Angela Davis was not an open-minded person. There had to be something going on and Taylor wasn't about to sit back and watch her sister get hurt again. "Would you mind if I joined you guys? A little back up if it's needed."

"Actually, that would be greatly appreciated," Brooke answered. She really liked Taylor. At first she wasn't so sure if she would, she was afraid that the girl would be upset about their relationship, but she couldn't have been more wrong. Then again, she was related to Haley, Brooke shouldn't have had a doubt that she would be great.

"I'm sure Karen won't have a problem with it either." Even though Taylor was close with Karen, she was nowhere near as close as Haley was to the older woman. Taylor had always kind of envied their relationship because she wanted to have someone she could talk to like Haley did. Then, her parents seemed o favor her over Haley, so it wasn't really necessary for her to have another mother.

"We'll ask her later today," Brooke answered, moving further into the house. She looked into the living room for her girlfriend before remembering Haley had said that she was trying to fall asleep. "So where that adorable girlfriend of mine?"

"Oh, she's upstairs," Taylor answered nodding towards the stairs and pointing in the same direction. "The doctor said she should take a nap since she couldn't get any sleep last night. She finally dosed off a few minutes ago."

"I won't wake her then," Brook replied. She knew how Haley could get when she didn't get any sleep and she didn't want to have to deal with her mother and a cranky Haley all in the same day. "I'll just go up and sit with her."

"Okay," Taylor nodded, trying to hide her smile. She just couldn't believe how cute they were together. If her memory served her correctly, Brooke was always the most popular girl in school and Haley was far from that title. So for Brooke to turn out to be the sweetest thing was a big surprise. "Just call down if you guys need anything."

"You got it, Tay." Brooke waved at Taylor as she disappeared into the kitchen. Brooke took a moment before making her way up the stairs and towards Haley's room. Just as she was about to knock, she remembered that Haley was sleeping and decided it was best just to walk in. She opened the door a bit and peaked inside to see that Haley was curled up on her side, her knees bent and her head buried in the pillow.

A soft smile graced Brooke's lips as she saw the familiar sight. As cute and adorable Haley was when she was awake, she was twice that amount when she was asleep. Brooke could still remember the first time that they had spent the night together. Haley had been so nervous and Brooke thought it was the most endearing thing in the whole world. That was the night Brooke fell in love with Haley.

"_Alright," Brooke sighed, pulling back from Haley's lips and sitting up on the bed. Haley frowned and pushed herself up on her elbows so she was able to see Brooke's face as she spoke. Brooke glanced at her watch and was surprised to find that it was so late. They had been making out for hours. "I guess I better get going. It's getting pretty late."_

"_I wish you didn't have to go," Haley whined. She knew she sounded like a baby, but she didn't care in the least. She really didn't want Brooke to go and she knew there was only one way to keep that from happening. Problem was, she was too chicken to ask that question. _

"_Me too, baby," Brooke agreed, leaning down for another quick kiss. When she pulled away she was amused to see how swollen Haley's lips were. It was a good thing her parents weren't home because there was no way that they would be able to explain the way they looked. The brightest smile lit up on Haley's face at the words. "What?"_

"_You called me baby," she pointed out, her smile widening even more as she said it again herself. She knew that Brooke liked her; she just wasn't sure how serious it was between them. Brooke Davis wasn't exactly known for having long-term relationships. _

"_Is that bad?" Brooke asked. She hadn't even realized that she said it. Now that she thought about it, she could understand why Haley was so giddy about the pet name. It wasn't until just recently that Brooke had started calling her Hales. Even after they started seeing each other and having secret rendezvous, Brooke still called her Tutor Girl._

"_Not at all," Haley assured her, her smile not dimming a notch. "It felt nice, actually. I like it." A smile the size of Haley's appeared on Brooke's face and the dimples that Haley loved so much made their presence known. "Almost as much as I like you, Dimples." _

"_You like me?" Everyone thought that Brooke was this self confident, arrogant girl, but she was just as nervous about this relationship as Haley was. She had never felt this way about someone before, the feelings she was having for Haley were so overwhelming at times that she didn't think she would be able to control herself. _

"_Yeah, I mean… yeah," Haley stuttered. She hadn't meant to say that out loud and now she looked like an idiot. Of course Brooke didn't feel the same way. How could she have been so stupid? Brooke looking at her with that shocked look wasn't making matters any better either. "It's okay that you don't feel the same way, it's cool. This isn't the same thing to you as it is to me, that's okay. I just wanted to…"_

_Anything further that Haley had to say was cut off when Brooke crushed her lips against hers and laid them back out on the bed. Haley could feel Brooke's tongue tracing her bottom lip and asking for entrance, which she happily gave. They had been making out for over two weeks now, and every time they kissed, it felt like that first time again. _

_Brooke was in heaven. She was well known around Tree Hill for being somewhat of a slut and for the most part; what they said was true. She had been with a lot of guys, so she was pretty much an expert in kissing. To this day, she still couldn't believe what an amazing kisser Haley was. It was like she was some kind of Goddess and Brooke was just the luckiest girl in the world. If Haley was this good at kissing, Brooke didn't even want to think about what it would be like when they finally slept together. _

"_I really like you, too," Brooke whispered once she pulled her lips away from Haley's. The other girl looked up at her with glossy and dazed eyes, still breathless from what just happened. "The things you do to me, the way you make me feel…it's all new to me, but I like it. I love being with you, even when we're just hanging out, and I hate it when we're apart."_

"_What are you saying, Tigger?" Haley couldn't believe her ears. Was Brooke Davis asking her what she thought she was asking her? Brooke felt all the tension and nervousness that had settled in her stomach wash away as she saw the look on Haley's face. Brooke moved down and placed a delicate kiss on Haley's forehead._

"_I'm saying that I want you to be my girlfriend," she answered. Haley smiled so wide that it looked like she slept with a hanger in her mouth. Brooke could only take that as a good sign. Without saying anything, Haley grabbed the front of Brooke's shirt and pulled her down, capturing her pink lips in a heated kiss. That was all the answer that Brooke needed. When they pulled away, Brooke leaned her head again her girlfriend's._

"_Stay with me tonight?" Haley asked in a husky whisper. Brooke knew what she meant and that was perfectly fine with her. She understood that Haley wasn't ready for that kind of step yet, and that was okay with her. She didn't want to rush into anything either. Haley was too important to her to lose over something as stupid as sex. _

"_Every night, baby," Brooke answered. She placed one more quick kiss on Haley's lips before moving rolling off the girl and to her side. As soon as she was in place, she felt Haley snuggle closer to her. Brooke smiled and wrapped her arms around Haley, never wanting to let go. "Goodnight, Tutor Girl."_

Brooke smiled at the memory. That was one of the best nights of her life. She shook her head, pushing the thought to the back of her brain and moved over to the bed. Without even giving it a second thought, Brooke pulled back the covers and slipped in beside Haley. Just as before and every night since then, Brooke wrapped her arms around Haley's small frame and held her tight.

No matter what her mother had planned for the both of them, it wasn't going to work. There was no way she was going to let her mother break them up. Haley was far to important to her to give up because some stupid woman didn't approve of their feelings. Brooke was going to be with Haley even if it cost her her mother. She just hoped Haley was willing to make that same sacrifice.

………**.WWHT……….**

"Hey, girls," Karen greeted them as they walked into the almost empty Café. It was the time of day between the lunch rush and the dinner one. It was definitely Karen's favorite part of the day. "What are you doing here, Haley?" I thought I told you to take the rest of the week off."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Haley assured her as she and Brooke moved to take their seat at the counter. Karen finished drying the mug, placed in back where it was supposed to go and flung her towel over her shoulder, giving the girls her full attention.

"She's not here to work, we came on a social call."

"What do I owe the pleasure?" Karen smiled at both girls. She didn't really know Brooke that well, not as well as she knew Haley, but she really liked her. Besides, there wasn't anyone she trusted more than Haley, so if Haley said she was a good person, Karen agreed wholeheartedly. She also couldn't forget the fact that she made her daughter happy than she had ever seen her since she was five.

"We kind of need a favor," Haley answered, looking at Karen unsurely. She had always thought of Karen as her mother, but for some reason, she wasn't sure if the feeling was mutual. Karen gave her a warm smile.

"You know I'd do anything for you, sweetie," Karen told Haley, hoping that the girl would believe her. She knew that Haley was kind of unsure about there relationship and she just wished there was some way she could convince Haley that she loved her just as much as her own son. Haley's features seemed to relax at the words.

"My mom kind of found out about us," Brooke started. Karen's eyes widened and a feeling of dread washed over her. She was hoping they would never have to deal with their parents. Neither set was the most open-minded people in the world. "And she invited Haley and her parents over for dinner."

"And since my parents don't know nor do they seem to give a damn about me, we thought that maybe you wouldn't mind…"

"Of course, Haley," Karen stopped her. She didn't like Angela Davis, but she was willing to suffer through a meal with her for Haley. Haley smiled at her in thanks and reached across the counter to grab a menu. Karen and Brooke shared a look and they both seemed to be thinking the same thing.

This wasn't going to end well.

**...WWHT...**

I know that was lame, but I really wanted to get you guys a chapter ASAP and that was the best I could do at the moment. The next one should be better, so don't worry. And I'll try to get an update for FYITM as well. Please tell me what you think. Thanks.


	22. Meeting Mommy Dearest

_Author's Note:_ Hey. Sorry that it's been a while, but as always school had been kicking my ass. But alas, it's winter break so I'm hoping to be able to update at least a few times over the two weeks that I'm off. Anyway, I still don't know what I have planned for this chapter, but I'm thinking there should be some drama in it, but I can't promise anything. Anyway, don't forget to tell me what you all think. Thanks.

**...WWHT…**

"How are you doing back there, sweetie?" Karen asked, looking at Haley through her rearview mirror. She and Taylor were sitting up front and Brooke, Haley and Peyton were squeezed into the back. Brooke, who figured that she might prove to be somewhat of a peacemaker, had invited the blonde to come along at the last minute.

"I'm okay, I guess," Haley answered. Truth was, she was extremely nervous about this dinner and meeting Brooke's parents. She had heard millions of horror stories about them from both Brooke and Peyton, and she was getting the impression that they weren't going to like her too much.

"You sure?" Taylor teased, turning in the passenger seat so she could see her little sister. "Cause it looks like you're about to pass out." Haley eyed her, but didn't say anything. She felt like she was about to pass out, so she was pretty that she looked like it too.

"She's fine," Brooke answered for her. She was holding Haley's hand and rubbing soothing circles on her back. She leaned into her girlfriend and rested her forehead against Haley's, hoping it might calm her down a bit. "Aren't you, baby?" Haley shook her head mutely at the question, which caused Taylor to laugh.

"Don't sweat it, Hales," Peyton told her, squeezing the other girl's thigh. Haley pulled away from Brooke and turned to face Peyton. "You'll do great. Yes, Angela Davis has been known to be somewhat of a skanky bitch at times, but then so has Brooke."

"Thanks, Pey," Brooke snorted sarcastically. Peyton gave her a sweet smile.

"I'm just saying, that maybe she'll be nice." Brooke and Haley both gave her a look that told her they thought she was crazy. "Okay, we've never seen it before, but you bring it out in people. Do you know what Brooke was like before she started sleeping with you?"

"You're sleeping together?" Taylor asked before either Haley or Brooke could correct the blonde.

"No," they both answered at the same time. They glanced at the older girl before turning back to their best friend. Taylor rolled her eyes and turned back around to look out her window, but kept listening to the conversation.

"How could she not like you, Hales?" Peyton asked, ignoring their denials and finally getting to her point. She felt really bad for her best friend, and as much as she was telling Haley otherwise, Haley had every reason to be scared. She knew Brooke's mom, and she knew exactly how she could be. Angela definitely had something up her sleeve; she just wasn't sure what it was.

"Besides the fact that I'm not good enough for Brooke?"

"Hey, hey, hey," Brooke called, holding up her hands and telling her that she didn't want to hear anymore of that nonsense. "Have we or have we not already had this conversation?"

"We've already had this conversation," Haley mumbled as if she was under Brooke's magical command. Taylor and Karen both smirked at the way Brooke was able to control Haley. She was definitely whipped.

"Then why are we going back there again?" Haley sighed.

"Tigger, just because you think I'm good enough for you," Haley began, eyeing Brooke so she wouldn't interrupt her. "Doesn't mean your mother will. In fact, I can pretty much guarantee that she won't find me acceptable for her daughter and you know it too."

Brooke was about to protest, but stopped at the last minute. Unfortunately, Haley was right. She knew that her mother wouldn't accept Haley. It's one thing that Haley was a girl, but the fact that her parents weren't rich just made things even worse. She loved Haley because she was beautiful, sweet, adorable, funny, thoughtful and sensitive. Her mother wouldn't see that. All her mother would see is the lack of money and social status. Brooke could still remember the fit her mother had thrown when she brought Peyton home and introduced her as her best friend.

"She's got you there, Brookie," Peyton commented, not being able to stand the silence that had fallen over the car. They had all been thinking the same thing and they were all dreading what was going to go down tonight. Whatever happened, Peyton was almost positive that someone was going to get hurt, and she was willing to bet money that it was going to be Haley.

"Why? Why would you…" Brooke began; glaring at Peyton, trying to figure out why her friend was adding to the nervousness that Haley was already experiencing. Peyton shrugged her shoulders and turned back in her seat, giving up on helping. Once Brooke was sure that Peyton was going to keep her mouth shut, she turned back to Haley.

"Baby," she whispered, bringing their foreheads back together. She lowered her voice so none of the other girls in the car would hear her. "It doesn't matter what she says, okay. Yeah, there is a big chance that she'll be her regular snobbish self and be a total bitch to you, but I could really care less what she thinks. And if she decides that she's going to say something hurtful to you, well she'll get what's been coming to her for years."

"You promise?"

"Pinky swear," Brooke replied, a cheesy smile in place. She leaned forward and kissed Haley gently on the lips. "Nothing she says is going to change my mind about wanting to be with you." Brooke smiled and raised her voice a little so Peyton would be able to hear her. "If she couldn't make me get rid of that skinny bitch, then she's not going to make me get rid of you."

"Hey, I heard that."

"I said it loudly," Brooke laughed back. When she looked back at Haley, she was happy to see a smile back on her girlfriend's lips. "I love you, baby. Always. That's all that matters, okay?"

"Okay," Haley breathed. Brooke brought their lips together for a sweet, reassuring kiss. When they pulled apart, they realized that the car had stopped and the other three occupants were staring at them. Peyton could see how uncomfortable Brooke and Haley were under the older women's gazes and couldn't help but add fuel to the fire.

"That was really hot," the blonde commented. A bright smile appeared on her lips when Brooke glared at her. Taylor cleared her throat, trying to get a subject change.

"We're here," she told them, even though it was clearly not needed. Haley let out a whimper and Brooke and Peyton broke their staring contest to look at Taylor. "You're house, the place we've all been dreading, we're here."

"Thanks, Tay," Brooke told her in a tight voice. Taylor smiled and her and Karen got out of the car, leaving the three teenagers in the back. Once they were gone, Brooke turned back to Haley and felt a new wave of sympathy for her girlfriend when she saw just how scared the girl was. "I'll be right there, baby. It'll be okay."

"Yeah," Peyton agreed, this time there wasn't any trace of humor in her voice. She knew how scared and nervous Haley was already; she didn't need to add to it. "In all seriousness, we've all got your back, okay? You don't have to be scared." Haley glanced at her blonde friend to see if she was telling the truth. She nodded when she saw that Peyton was being serious.

"Okay, let's go," she told them. Brooke gave her a reassuring smile and grabbed her hand, leading her out of the car. Peyton got out of her own side. The three of them joined Karen and Taylor on the sidewalk. Haley saw the looks Taylor and Karen were giving her and she nodded, telling them that she was okay to go. "I'm fine. Really."

"Lead the way." The older women nodded and began their journey up the walkway, Brooke, Haley and Peyton right behind them. Once they were on the porch, Brooke took a deep breath before knocking. The others looked at her strangely, wondering why she was knocking on the door at her own house. She shrugged. "It's part of the illusion."

"Whatever." The group only had to wait a few moments before the front door opened revealing Angela Davis with a bright smile on her face. She was dressed in her usual elegant dress, her hair and make up done perfectly.

"Hello, hello," she greeted, holding the door open wide enough for everyone to come inside. Once the five newcomers were in, she closed the door. "Now, can I take everyone's coat?" They all nodded and took off their coats, handing them over to Angela. She noticed Brooke helping Haley out of her's and assumed she was the girlfriend.

"Thank you, Mrs. Davis," Haley said politely as she handed the woman her jacket. So far, things were going okay. Haley had been afraid that Brooke's mother was going to verbal attack her the moment she entered the house. So far all she's done was smile at her. Though, Haley could tell it was fake. "This is a beautiful house."

"You've been here a million times, Hales," Brooke remained her. For a second, Brooke was about to call her baby, but at the last moment she stopped herself. Her mother may be pretending to be okay with this whole thing, but she was afraid she might give her a heart attack if she called Haley by her pet name.

"I was being polite," Haley hissed back at Brooke. Brooke rolled her eyes and shook her head. She didn't understand why Haley was trying so hard about getting her mother's approval. Brooke couldn't care less what her mother thought about Haley, so she didn't understand why Haley cared so much.

"Well, how about some introductions?"

"Okay," Brooke sighed. "You know Peyton, right?" The blonde gave Angela a little wave and Angela smiled back at her. Before her mother could make any stupid comments about how much she had grown, Brooke quickly continued. "This is Karen, I told you about her and this is Taylor, Haley's older sister."

"It's so nice to meet all of you." Angela shook hands with Karen and Taylor before turning to Haley. "I take it you must be Haley, the girl that's got my daughter all confused?" Haley's mouth fell open at the woman's comment and she didn't know what to say.

"You're unbelievable, you know that?" Brooke shook her head and put her arm around Haley's waist and started pulling Haley towards the stairs. "We're going to go hang out up stairs until dinner is ready. Come on, Pey." Peyton glared openly at Angela, surprised herself that she wasn't wasting anytime in her assault on poor Haley, and followed her best friends up to Brooke's room, leaving Taylor and Karen alone with the hell beast.

"Well, dinner smells good," Taylor commented, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group. If took everything inside of her not to yell at the horrible woman that had put that hurt look on her baby sister's face. Angela tore her gaze from the stairs the girls had just gone up and gave Taylor a forced smile.

"Yes, our cook is very good." She placed the coats on the banister and motioned towards the living room. "Why don't we join my husband in the living room?" She led Karen and Taylor into the huge living room where Robert Davis was sitting. The girls sent him a smile before sitting down on the loveseat across from the chair that Angela has taken.

"This really is a lovely house, Mrs. Davis."

"Oh, please call me Angela," she told him, crossing her legs and reaching forward to pick up her wine glass. "Mrs. Davis makes me feel old."

"You are," Taylor mumbled under her breath and Karen had to stifle a laugh. She elbowed Taylor in the stomach and gave Angela a smile.

"So Karen, Brooke tells me that you own your own café?"

"Yes, I do," Karen answered, thankful that the other woman hadn't heard Taylor's comment. Karen was used to talks like this. Superficial discussions about business that only come up when someone is beating around the bush. "It's just a little one in town. I opened it a couple years ago."

"That sounds just cozy," she replied, her plastic face contorting as she smiled even wider. Kate rolled her eyes, already bored with this conversation. She glanced over at Brooke's dad to find him reading the newspaper. "Brooke also mentioned that Haley works there."

"Since day one."

"That's very sweet of you." Karen raised an eyebrow in confusion. She shared a look with Taylor, who didn't understand either. "Well, it's always nice to hear about establishments such as yours that are willing to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate." Karen felt Taylor tense up beside her and immediately placed a calming hand on her thigh before she could do anything.

"Haley is actually best friends with my son, Lucas," Karen explained, having to contain her own urge to slap the other woman. She didn't know why she was surprised; this was exactly what she expected from a woman like Angela Davis. "I've known her since she was five."

"Oh, so it was just out of obligation?" Angela knew exactly what she was doing. She wasn't like some of the other snobs out there that didn't even realize they were snobs. She knew she was being a bitch and making people angry, and that was exactly what she intended to do. She could see that her words were having that exact effect on the two women in front of her. Taylor looked like she was ready to pounce on her and Karen was clenching her jaw tightly.

"No, actually," Karen replied, her voice tight. "I hired Haley because not only is she a smart, polite, responsible and beautiful girl, but she is also my daughter."

"I thought you said she was your son's best friend?"

"She is like my daughter," Karen corrected herself. Taylor watched Karen from her position beside her and she had to smile. She had never seen Karen look or sound so angry before. "I love her like she's my own. In fact, I love her just as much as I love my son. I've watched her grow into a beautiful young woman, one you should be honor to have as your daughter's girlfriend."

"Aw, that's sweet," Angela responded, locking her gaze with Karen's. Taylor's eyes went back and forth between the two, trying to see which was going to break first. She could almost feel the tension bubbling in the room. She held her breath and looked over at Brooke's father, who hadn't even looked up from his paper.

………**.WWHT……….**

"What do you think is going on down there?" Peyton asked, spinning around in the computer chair so she was facing the two lovebirds on the bed. Brooke was in a sitting position with her back against her headboard and Haley was lying at her side, her head in Brooke's lap.

"My bet," Brooke mused, running her hands through Haley's hair. "Kate and Karen are tearing my mother a new one. I'm just sad I can't be there to see it." Peyton smiled and nodded her head. She too would pay good money to see Angela Davis put in her place.

"Tigger?" Haley mumbled, shifting in her position so she was on her back and looking up at Brooke. "Are you confused?" Brooke rolled her eyes and shook her head. She cursed her mother for putting these stupid ideas in Haley's head.

"Not even a little," Brooke reassured her in a soothing tone. "My mother just saw an opening and took it. I'm warning you now, don't believe anything she says all right? She's just looking to make trouble."

"Kay," Haley nodded, rolling back over on her side to facing Peyton, who was watching them. "Remind me, what are you doing here, again?"

"Brooke invited me for backup," the blonde retorted, sticking out her tongue at Haley. She knew Haley was grateful she was there, anything to take some of the heat off of her; Haley was just looking for something to change the subject.

"You know, Pey," Brooke began. "We should just make this a threesome because you seem to part of our relationship. I swear, you're there for almost every event. Our first fight, my first meeting with Taylor, when Luke found out, now. What's up with that?"

"You're just lucky I guess," Peyton shot back at her, giving her best friend a sweet and loving smile. Her eyes traveled down to Haley, who was looking straight ahead and chewing on her fingernails. Boy, did she feel sorry for the girl. "Don't stress so much, Hales. You'll bite right through your finger soon."

"Huh?" Haley snapped out of her daze and looked up at Peyton. She blinked a few times, trying to remember what the blonde had said. "Oh, right." She pulled the finger out of her mouth and let it fall to the bed sheet. Brooke laughed and reached forward, taking a hold of the hand.

"Chillax, baby," she instructed her, bringing Haley's hand up to her lips and kissing it. "If she says something else like that, I'll kick her ass for you, kay?" Before Haley had a chance to agree, a voice called from downstairs.

"Dinner's served!"

"Time to face the wolves," Brooke mumbled, standing up and bringing Haley with her. Haley whimpered as she was lead out of the room by both Peyton and Brooke. This was not going to be a fun dinner.

**...WWHT…**

All done. I know it wasn't the best, but I couldn't give you guys any better at the moment. Please tell me what you think. Thanks.


	23. Caught in the Middle

_Author's Note:_ Hey, guys. I'm really sorry that it's been over a month since I've updated this, but I've been really busy with school. I had ISUs and exams and essays and everything to do. Anyway, I think I'm catching a break right now with that kind of stuff since the second semester is starting soon so I should have a few days off from school soon to update. I'm not exactly sure what's in store for our favorite couple for this chapter, but it should be good. Anyway, please enjoy and don't forget to tell me what you think.

**...WWHT…**

"Haley!" They heard Brooke calling and knocking on the door. She has been standing there for almost five minutes now, and she still hadn't gotten the point. Haley didn't want to talk to her, but she didn't seem to care at the moment. All Brooke cared about was what she wanted.

"She doesn't want to talk, Brooke," Peyton answered, sharing a look with Haley. She understood why Haley was upset, it was a stupid thing for Brooke to say, but she didn't think that Brooke meant it that way. Brooke doesn't normally think before she speaks and then things like this happen.

"I don't care," Brooke answered back before continuing with the banging. Peyton shrugged helplessly at Haley, telling her that she was sorry that she couldn't do anything. Haley nodded, knowing that the blonde wouldn't have been able to get the other cheerleader to do anything. Brooke hardly ever listened to anyone.

"Go away," she pleaded, wiping her tears and clearing her throat. She didn't think that her voice was going to sound that raspy. She was hoping that if Brooke heard the pleading in her voice, then she'd leave her alone.

"No, Hales," she answered. Haley rolled her eyes. Of course, if Brooke knew she was crying, that would only make her want to get into the room even more. "Besides, it's my room, can I please come in?"

"No." No one bothered to remind her that the door wasn't locked or blocked by anything, so there was really nothing stopping Brooke from coming in if she really wanted to. Brooke knew this as well, but she would never go in there if Haley really didn't want her to. Maybe if she was by herself and crying that would be a different story, but as long as Peyton was in there with her, she knew she was okay.

"Do you want me to go out and talk to her?" Peyton asked Haley quietly so Brooke wouldn't hear them. She didn't know that Brooke had her ear pressed to the door and was able to hear them.

"Sure," Haley answered, moving out of the blonde's arms so she could get up. She sat up on the bed and wiped her eyes again with the sleeve of her shirt. "Tell her that I don't want to talk to her right now."

"I got it!" Brooke yelled through the door in frustration. She didn't know what happened. One minute they were all having a nice meal, the next thing she knows her mother is insulting Haley. So of course, Brooke jumps in to defend her, but all of a sudden Haley excuses herself from the table and runs up to her room, Peyton hot on her heels.

"Brooke, shut up," Peyton warned, seeing the angry look on Haley's face. She ran a hand through Haley's ruffled hair before getting up and moving towards the door. She send a smile in the other girl's direction before opening the door. As soon as the door opened, Brooke tried to get in, but Peyton quickly blocked her way and shut it again.

"Pey, come on," she whined, stomping over to the other side of the hall so Haley wouldn't be able to hear their conversation. Though, she was almost positive that she would have her ear up again the door to listen just like she had. "I just want to go into _my _room and see _my_ girlfriend."

"Well, it doesn't always matter what you want," Peyton told her, walking over to sit down beside her on the floor. "Sometimes, you have to listen to what Haley wants."

"I always listen to what she wants," Brooke defended. "I work my ass to make sure that she gets everything I can give her." Suddenly realize what that might sound like to Haley, she quickly continued. "I love being able to give her everything. All I want is for her to be happy."

"She ain't happy right now," the blonde pointed out in an obvious tone. Brooke rolled her eyes and leaned her head against the wall.

"Oh really?" she asked in a sarcastic voice. "Cause I thought she was in there dancing and singing and eating cotton candy on rainbows."

"Okay, at this point, you're abusing sarcasm," Peyton mumbled. Brooke glared at her through he corner of her eye. Peyton immediately shut up. "Look, you messed up, now you have to wait a bit until she's not so pissed. She's really hurt right now."

"But why?" Brooke asked, finally admitting that she had no idea what she had done to get Haley so upset. She knew it had to be something since the girl didn't usually freak out for no reason, she just wasn't sure what. "What did I do? Or say, did I say something?"

"You really don't know?" Peyton was surprised. Even she would have been upset about what Brooke implied when she was talking to her mother. She knew that Brooke didn't realize it when she said it, but she would have figured that she'd realized after the fact. Brooke shook her head.

"Please, tell me," Brooke begged. "I really don't have the slightest clue."

"Okay," Peyton began, taking a breath. She knew Brooke would feel liked crap after she informed her of her error. It was just in Brooke's nature. It didn't matter if she had meant to hurt Haley's feelings, they were hurt and she was to blame. "Let's review."

"_This fish is really good, Mrs. Davis," Haley said after taking her first bite of the food. She wasn't really a big meat eater and Brooke knew that too, but she wasn't about to tell her mother that. She didn't think it would be a good idea to insult the host. Angela was seated at the end of the table with Mr. Davis at the head, minding his own business. Brooke, Haley and Peyton were seated on one side of the table, while Taylor and Karen were sitting across from them. _

"_Thank you, Haley," Angela answered politely, nervous under her daughter's warning glare. Brooke had been watching her all night to make sure that she didn't say anything rude or insulting to Haley. "I'll be sure to tell the cook that you liked it when I go back into the kitchen to check on the dessert."_

"_Dessert?" Brooke asked. From what her mother was saying, it sounded like she has prepared it herself. That would certainly be a first for Brooke; she didn't think she had ever seen her mother in front of the oven. _

"_Oh, yes," Angela said, swallowing some of her wine. She put her glass back on the table in front of her. "I had Jose teach me how to make a pie. It was really easy." She smiled at her daughter before turning to Karen, who was seated to her right. "Though, I suppose it's old hat to you, right? Owning a café and all."_

"_Yeah, I guess," Karen answered, surprised as the conversation had suddenly come her way. She placed her fork back on her plate and wiped her hands on the napkin that was spread out on her lap. "I don't usually make that much of the desserts, though."_

"_No?"_

"_No, that's more Haley's end of things," Karen informed her. Brooke's ears perked up at that information. She looked at Karen for confirmation before turning to Haley to look at her in surprise, a bright smile on her face. _

"_You make the desserts?" Brooke asked. Haley shrugged and glared slightly at the older woman. She wasn't supposed to tell people that. She didn't like people to know that she was a good cook. It was kind of a lot of pressure incase the customers didn't like it. _

"_Yeah."_

"_You know I love the cake there," Brooke exclaimed. "It's like my most favorite thing in the world. How come you never told me that it was your magic fingers doing the baking."_

"_I don't know," Haley mumbled. She hated when people complimented her. Well, most of the time. She did actually love it when Brooke said nice things to her. Just not when there was an audience, her mother being one of them. "It never came up."_

"_Yeah right, baby," Brooke laughed with a wave of her hand. She didn't realize the look of disgust that was crossing her mother's face at the pet name. Peyton and Taylor did though, but figured it was best to leave it alone. As long as she didn't say anything, they decided it would be fine. "I gush about that damned cake every time I go in there."_

"_So, how long have you two been dating?" Angela interrupted before they could start making out right in front of her. She couldn't believe she was able to stomach this at the dinner table. Brooke and Haley immediately stopped talking and turned to look at her. The rest of the table fell silent, waiting to hear their answer. Peyton, Karen and Taylor ready to put Angela in her place if she decided to say anything. _

"_It's been a month," Brooke answered, the warning clearly heard in her tone. She knew how her mother worked, and she could tell that this was just one of her little tricks she pulled. _

"_You've been hiding this little affair from me for a month?" her mother asked, finally letting the venom in her voice be heard. She was sick of hiding her true feelings towards this whole situation._

"_It's not an affair," Brooke shoot back, deciding to ignore her mother's comment about lying to her. It's not like she had the chance to tell her what was going on in her life. Maybe if Angela made the effort to see her daughter more than once a month then she'd feel more up to speed. Not that she would have told her in the first place. _

"_Oh, really?" Angela asked with an attitude. "Then what do you call it?"_

"_A relationship," Brooke answered. Haley cursed herself for not having the courage to stand up for herself, but she was always taught it was right to respect your elders, especially when they weren't your own parents. "I understand that you may not be familiar with those things. It's where both people love each other. I love her and she loves me."_

"_Oh, please," Angela scoffed, rolling her eyes. If she had a nickel for every time she heard a teenager say they loved something, she'd be richer than she already was. She saw it everywhere. All of her friend's kids thought they were in love, but it turned out that they were just horny. "You don't know what love is."_

"_Why?" Brooke asked. "Because you never showed it to me?" Angela bit her tongue to stop herself from saying something. Brooke always had little snide comments to make about her parenting skills, or lack thereof. "You have no right to tell me who I love and don't love because you are incapable of that emotion."_

"_You watch your mouth, young lady," Angela warned, raising her finger at her daughter. She didn't know why, but it seemed that she and Brooke could never have these fights in private, it always had to be in front of a group. Her eyes scanned the guests and they all had their eyes clued to the table, too afraid to look up. Mr. Davis continued to eat his food as if there was nothing going on around him. _

"_Don't tell me what to do," Brooke shot back. She didn't want to do this in front of everyone, but she was just glad that she was finally going to get this over with. She hated having to worry about what stupid comment her mother might make. It was much better when her feelings were out in the open. "If I want to date Haley, then that's exactly what I'm going to do."_

"_I hope you know that you're just making a huge mistake." Brooke had to laugh because it almost sounded like Angela was putting this fight up because she cared for her well being, but Brooke knew that it was just because she didn't agree with her lifestyle. _

"_I really don't see how being in love with someone could be a mistake," Brooke answered, quietly taking a hold of Haley's hand underneath the table. Haley smiled on the inside at the gesture, but didn't let the rest of the table know about it. _

"_It's not love," Angela restated in a confident voice. "I understand that you think it's love, but I can tell you that it's not. All this is about, all anything is about at your age is sex."_

"_Not that it's any of your business," Brooke started without thinking. "But I haven't been getting any because Haley's not giving it up." Haley's eyebrows rose as she tried to suppress the hurt she felt from that comment. "And I don't see that happening any time soon." If she didn't know any better, she'd think that Brooke was actually bitter about the whole thing. Angela looked a bit surprised at this information. She didn't think there was still a teenager on the face of the planet that was still a virgin. _

"_Well," Angela said, clearing her throat. She didn't want Brooke to know that she has actually made a point with her argument. "I guess you should find a looser girl next time."_

"_I'll keep that in mind for my next girlfriend," Brooke retorted. Haley let out a sigh, dropped Brooke's hand and stood up from the table. She looked back and forth between the people and quickly excused herself from the table and rushed towards the staircase. Brooke watched her leave in confusion and started to get up. _

"_I think you've done enough," Peyton told her as she pushed her chair out and standing up before Brooke had a chance to. "I'll go check on her." With a quick glance at Karen and Taylor, she left the room and into the direction Haley went. A silence fell over the living room. _

"_Can someone please pass the salt?" Mr. Davis asked. Taylor and Karen almost jumped at the voice. They were starting to think that he was mute. Taylor quickly reached forward, grabbing the shaker and passing it to Mr. Davis. "Thanks, darling." _

"Ouch," Brooke whispered, going over all the things that had happened just a few moments ago. She couldn't believe she had gotten so mad that she acted like that. Then again, her mother always got to her. There was just something about her, but she always lost it when they were together.

"Not your finest moment," Peyton agreed with a sympathetic smile. She knew Brooke didn't mean what she said; she was just trying to get to her mother. She looked at Brooke expectantly and then nodded towards the bedroom door. "Go talk to her."

"What do I say?"

"I'm sorry?"

"That sounds good." They shared a sad smile before Brooke got to her feet and shuffled them towards her door. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door lightly.

"What?"

"Baby?" she called. "I'm so sorry about what I said." She stopped and waited to see if Haley would say anything. Nothing. She wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. "Can I please come in and we can talk about this?" After a moment of silence, the door finally opened to reveal Haley with a tear stained face.

"It is your room," she answered in a light tone. She knew that she was overrating to the things that Brooke said, and deep down she knew what Brooke meant by them, but it still didn't make it hurt any less. Brooke smiled shyly at her, leaning forward for a soft kiss. When Haley didn't move away, she took that as a good sign and finished the journey, bringing their lips together.

"Let's go in and talk about it," Brooke suggested when they separated. Haley nodded, taking Brooke's hand and leading them back into the room. Brooke managed to send Peyton a happy smirk before closing the door behind.

"Man, I need someone," Peyton laughed. She shook her head and pushed herself to her feet. With one last glance at the door, she walked door the stairs to give the young couple some alone time.

**...WWHT…**

I know that wasn't the best, but that's what I've got right now. I wanted Brooke's mom to say something, but I wasn't sure what she should say, so I just did that. I hope it wasn't that bad. Please tell me what you think. Thank you.


	24. A Little Out of Hand

_Author's Note:_ Hey, all. Sorry it took so long for me to get this out, but I've been really busy lately. I'm glad that you all liked the last chapter so much because I enjoyed writing it. I think that this one needs some more fluff though, what do you guys think? There is always room for some good old Baley fluff. And it'll be fun to write. While, that's all there really is to say, other then 'Hey, Jodi!' Enjoy this chapter.

**...WWHT…**

"So," Brooke began, sitting stiffly on the bed beside Haley. It had always been so easy to talk to Haley, to be around her, and now she was incredibly nervous. She knew that she had said some pretty harsh stuff down stairs and she didn't blame Haley for being angry with her.

"I'm sorry I freaked out down there," Haley began, not realizing that Brooke was coming in here to apologize for her actions. Haley knew that she sometimes had the tendency to overreact to things, but she just did what she felt. What Brooke had said had really hurt her feelings and even if her head was telling her she was being a baby, she just couldn't help the way she felt. "I was completely over reacting."

"No you weren't," Brooke protested. She should have known that Haley was going to act like this. "Baby, what I said down there was completely out of line. I was being just as bad as my mom was. I never should have said anything like that."

"You were just angry," Haley decided. She wasn't sure if she was asking or not. Peyton had kept telling her over and over that Brooke didn't mean and she wanted more than anything to believe her friend's words. "You didn't mean it. Right?"

"No," Brooke stated, her voice not wavering a bit. "God, no, baby." She reached forward and took both of Haley's hands in her own, wanting to make sure that Haley understood that she didn't mean anything that she had said. She didn't know what she would do if Haley thought she meant it. "My mother just gets under my skin like that. It had nothing to do with you. I promise."

"So you're not upset about not getting any?" Haley asked, making sure to use the phrase the same hurtful way that Brooke had said it earlier. Brooke grimaced at the words that she had used. She still couldn't believe that she had let herself say something that vulgar.

"I can't believe I said that," Brooke sighed. She knew that she was going to have to do a lot more than some simple sweet talking to get out of this one. She closed her eyes and shook her head. After a moment, she locked eyes with Haley again. "You know that I don't care about that. Yeah, it's no secret that my past relationships have pretty much been solely based on that, but this is completely different."

"But our relationship shouldn't be completely different, Tigger," Haley explained. Brooke had to hide the smile that creeped to her lips when she called her Tigger. "Just cause I'm a girl doesn't mean that you need to treat me any different than you would a boyfriend."

"That's not what I mean, Hales," Brooke tried to explain. "It's like I told you that night we decided to officially become a couple, you make me feel different than I've ever felt before. No guy that I've ever been with has ever made me feel as special as you make me feel."

"So, it's a good different?" Brooke smiled and leaned forward, kissing Haley lightly on the lips. She pulled back and smiled at her girlfriend.

"It's the best different," she assured her with a wide smile. "What you and me have, it beats anything I could do with a guy. Yeah, sex can be great, but just cuddling with you is better then sex has been with any guy. I'm not interested in that stuff anymore."

"So," Haley began, eyeing Brooke unsurely. The thought had been in the back of her head for the past week and she had been fighting with herself about whether she should say anything. "If I were to say that I was ready to, you know, you wouldn't be interested?"

"Are you saying that you're ready?" Brooke had to be sure. She had been dreaming about this moment since that night in the café. She knew that she shouldn't have, especially when she always told Haley that it didn't matter, but it did. She had spent almost half of her teen years sleeping around; it was in her nature, so of course she thought about what it would be like with Haley. She wasn't frustrated or anything, nor would she ever think about pressuring Haley into doing something she wasn't ready to do, but she was more than willing if Haley was.

Haley smiled at Brooke, without saying anything. She brought one hand up to Brooke's face, brushing the hair behind her ear and bringing their lips together. She shifted over to press their bodies closer against each other. Haley gently guided Brooke's body back so it was lying against the bed and brought her leg to the other side of her girlfriend so she was straddling Brooke's waist. They didn't break their lip contact once.

Brooke felt like her entire body was on fire. She could swear that she could feel Haley's hands all over her body, touching her in every place she ever wanted to be touched. She closed her eyes as Haley slipped her tongue back into her mouth, before bringing it back out quickly. She let out a whimper as Haley sucked and nibbled on her bottom lip. Just when she thought that Haley couldn't kiss any better…

Without thinking, she started slipping her hands up the back of Haley's shirt, massaging the creamy, silky smooth skin she found there. There was a voice in her head that was telling her that she should stop this before it got out of hand, but it just felt too good, too right.

"Oh, God," she moaned when Haley moved away from her lips and started kissing a trail down her neck. Brooke's eyes rolled back at the sensation and brought her hands further up Haley's body until she felt Haley's bra strap under her fingers. She tugged on Haley's shirtsleeve until her bare shoulder was visible and she attacked it with her lips, kissing and sucking on the sweet tasting tanned skin.

"I want this," Haley whispered into Brooke's ear before taking the lope in her ear and sucking gently on it. Brooke's entire body arched up at the sensation. She had heard that the ear was one of the most sensitive places on your body, but no one had ever done that to her. Haley smiled at the effect she was having on Brooke.

Haley let her right hand trail it's way down the length of Brooke's body as she continued to kiss her neck, following the example of the sloppy kisses Brooke was kissing her. She didn't know what she has expected when this finally happened, but this was better than she ever thought it would feel like, and they hadn't even taken off any clothes yet. Suddenly needing to feel Brooke's lips against her's, Haley pulled back and captured Brooke's swollen lips in a kiss.

Brooke tried her best to ignore the hand that was slowly sneaking beneath her shirt. The hand that was attached to the fingers that were giving her feather light caresses across her stomach. She brought her own hands out from behind Haley and buried one hand in Haley's tresses and the other one up the front of her shirt. She tried her best to focus all of her thoughts on the feeling of their dueling tongues.

There was that hand again. Her breathing quickened and she ran her tongue along the length of Haley's bottom lip before bringing it into her mouth and sucking gently on it. Haley's hand continued its journey across her toned abdomen and further up her shirt until it brush against her breast….

"Haley," she groaned out, as she pulled their lips apart. Haley ignored her call and sought out her lips again. For a moment, Brooke forgot what she had been trying to do, trying to think of why she would possible want to stop something that felt soooo good. She remembered when she felt finger's brush her nipple. "Baby, please."

"It's okay," Haley assured her, seeking out her lips again. This time, Brooke didn't let them make contact. She quickly pulled her hand out of Haley's top and untangled her fingers from Haley's auburn hair so she wouldn't be tempted to continue with what they were doing.

"No, it's not," Brooke protested. She started to sit up and sighed, reluctantly getting off of Brooke and flopping down on the bed beside her. Brooke sat up, crawling up to lean against the headboard. She started fixing her messed up top. Once she felt she was presentable again, she glanced at Haley just staring at the ceiling. Brooke could tell by her posture that she was angry. "Hales…"

"Don't," Haley stopped her, not bothering to tear her gaze from counting the tiles on the ceiling. It was a ritual of her's, to count when she got angry, it was usually better than blowing up at people and making a fool of herself.

"Haley, I just," Brooke tried, but snapped her mouth shut. What was she thinking? She didn't know what had come over her, but all of a sudden, things just started to become overwhelming and she had to stop it. "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened."

"I do." Brooke was surprised at the words. If she didn't know what had come over her, how could Haley possibly know?

"You do?"

"You didn't want to," Haley answered, her voice shaky. Brooke could tell that she was near tears. She raised an eyebrow and slowly started shifting herself towards the end of the bed where Haley was laying. Once she was sitting beside Haley, she leaned back so she was copy Haley's position, staring up at the ceiling. After looking up for a moment, she tilted her head to the side to gaze at Haley, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

"What are you talking about?" Haley continued to stare up for a few moments longer before turning to look at her girlfriend, unshed tears glistening in her eyes.

"You don't want me," she whispered. There, she said it. She had been thinking it, there was no other conclusion to jump to, but it hurt so much more to say the words out loud. When she said them out loud, there was a bigger chance for them to be proven right.

"I want you too much," Brooke corrected her. She was more than used to Haley's insecurity issues by now. She swore, if she ever met Haley's parents, she was going to ring their necks for causing this beautiful girl to feel the way she did. She tugged on Haley's sleeve, urging her to roll over. Finally, Haley gave in, and snuggled into Brooke's side, letting herself be wrapped up in her arms.

"You really want me?"

"More than I've ever wanted anything, baby," Brooke told her honestly, her voice not wavering a bit. She took Haley's chin on her fingers and tilted her head up so she could look into her watery eyes. "Where we were going there, if we went any further than there would have been no turning back."

"But I'm ready," Haley protested. "I know I am."

"I know you are, too." Brooke knew that Haley was a smart girl, and there was no way she would ever do something this big just because she felt the pressure to. She had to be ready. "But I'm not."

"Huh?"

"Haley, listen to me," Brooke began. She couldn't resist placing a simple kiss on Haley's incredibly swollen and beat red lips before she started her explanation. "I've been having sex since I was fourteen. That kind of thing really isn't new to me. Hell, I'm so used to it, that it started losing its appeal. But with you? God, I felt like I was on fire. It was intense."

"And that's bad?"

"Not at all," Brooke answered, shaking her head and smiling reassuringly at her girlfriend. The last thing she wanted Haley to think was that she didn't turn her on. Nothing could be more wrong. "I've never felt like that. You were just kissing my neck and I almost had to bite my lip to keep from screaming."

"I was that good?" Haley asked, a proud smile slipping onto her lips. Brooke giggled at the adorable look on Haley's face. Brooke nodded her head emphatically. "You did say I was Heaven sent," she reminded her.

"I guess I was right." They shared a smile and Brooke was happy to see that Haley was starting to understand where she was coming from. "I don't want to rush this. It's our first time together, it's your first time period. I just want this to be special, you know? I don't want to make love to you out of spite against my mother."

"That was never the reason," Haley told her, leaning up and kissing Brooke's nose. "But thank you for not rushing. I am ready, but that doesn't mean we have to do it right now."

"So, we're good?" Haley gave her a tooth-baring grin and planted a sloppy kiss on her lips.

"We're perfect."

**...WWHT…**

I know that was short, but I'm uberly tired and I really wanted to get this chapter out. This didn't go at all how I planned, but I hope you like it anyway. Don't worry, next chapter will being them out of this storyline and into the next, which I have yet to determine. Please tell me what you thought about this chapter.

**_Important Question:_** I was thinking about making a prequel to this story, showing their night in the café, how they started dating, sneaking around…I was just wondering if anyone would be interested in that. Tell me what you think.


	25. One on One

_Author's Note:_ Hey, all. I'm back with a new update. I've been incredibly depressed with the complete lack of Baley on the show currently since the writers are trying everything to make us hate Haley. I don't know about you guys, but there is nothing they could make Haley do that would get me to hate her, but that's just me. I hope all of you aren't falling into their trap. I think there is definitely something else going on in Tree Hill, there always is. Anyway, I'm hoping to wrap this up as quickly and painlessly as possible so I can get started on that prequel. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please review to tell me what you think.

**...WWHT…**

"What do we do now?" Haley asked from her position snuggled against Brooke's side. This was honestly her favorite place in the whole entire world. Not Brooke's bedroom, Brooke's arms. There was nothing that could ever make her feel as safe as she did when Brooke was wrapped around her.

"I don't know," Brooke answered, tilting her head to the side so she could see the alarm clock that was resting on the nightstand at the top of her bed. She was surprised to see that it was only nine o'clock. "I'm sure that everyone is still staked out downstairs. We could always go back and make an appearance."

"I really don't want to see anyone," Haley mumbled back, flashing back to what happened not long ago in the dinning room. She knew that Brooke didn't mean anything by it and she certainly wasn't holding it against her girlfriend, she just didn't feel like facing anyone just yet. "Especially your mom."

"You're certainly not the first person to say that," Brooke commented, not in the mood to see her mother either. She would rather talk to Theresa at this point. Okay, actually, scratch that. Theresa was definitely worse that her mother. At least Angela never beat the crap out of Haley.

"That doesn't make me feel any better, you know?"

"I know," Brooke answered, silently apologizing for trying to lighten the mood. She knew that Haley had forgiven her for her little slip of the tongue in at dinner, but that didn't mean she was over it yet. What she said really hurt Haley and Brooke didn't blame her for being mad about it. She would have been too, though she new that Haley would never have been as stupid to say something so hurtful to her.

"How about we just stay up here?" Haley suggested, snuggling into Brooke's arms even further, throwing her arm over Brooke's exposed abdomen.

"Sounds good to me," Brooke agree with a bright smile on her face, surprised that Haley would even think that she wouldn't be okay with that idea. She didn't want to go back downstairs either. She was all for hanging out in her room with her girlfriend. "Do you have any ideas on what to do?"

"We could sleep," Haley suggested, knowing that for probably the first time since they started going out, Brooke wasn't making some kind of sexual innuendo with her comment. "I'm so uberly tired. You know, believe it or not, I didn't get much sleep in the hospital."

"You don't say?" Brooke teased, kissing Haley's hair before burying her face in it, inhaling the sweet scent. "Well, when I came to see you, you looked to be resting peacefully."

"I was until you crawled into bed with me," Haley answered; Brooke rolled her eyes, knowing that she was just kidding around. "Can't say that I got much sleep then."

"Hey," Brooke exclaimed, pretending to be offended by her comment. "I was a perfect gentleman. I didn't try anything." Haley laughed and nodded, indicating that she was right.

"Yeah, yeah," she teased. Haley twisted her body around so she was lying on her stomach, staring up at Brooke's adoring face. "So, you up for bedtime?" Brooke smiled, and glanced over at the clock to find that not much time had passed.

"We might as well," she agreed. The girls both begrudgingly got off the bed and started getting ready for bed. Brooke grabbed an extra pair of pajamas for Haley to sleep in and tossed them to her before grabbing her own. They changed, neither sneaking a peck out of respect, even though it was almost impossible to resist.

"Do you think we should let them know that we're not coming back down?"

"Nah," Brooke shook her head, pulling back the sheets on her bed and starting to slip in. Haley quickly followed suit. "I'm sure Pey will come up eventually to make sure that you didn't gut me or anything."

"Aw, I'd never gut you," Haley gushed, turning on her side so she was facing Brooke. She reached forward and placed a quick kiss on the tip of Brooke's nose. "You are way too cute to gut. I'd maim you, maybe ravish, but never gut."

"Aren't you a sweetie?" Brooke laughed back, enjoying the pillow talk. She could tell that Haley was already sleepy, even if she was trying to hide it. "Okay, sleepyhead. Let's get on with the sleeping, shall we?"

"Okay." Both girls simultaneously lean in and their lips met in a short, but sweet goodnight kiss. It was nothing compared to the intensity that passed between them not long ago, but both girls knew the love that was behind it, and that's all that mattered.

"Night, baby," Brooke whispered, her eyes already starting to drift shut. She couldn't believe how tired she actually was. She heard Haley grumble in response, but no words escaped. She could feel Haley shifting her position, turning around so her back was to her. Without even thinking about it, Brooke wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's stomach and pulled her closer so they were in their usual position. Within a few minutes, they were both asleep.

Not more than five minutes later, there was a soft knock at the door. After there was no answer from inside the room, Peyton slowly pushed open the door to make sure that everything was already, shielding her eyes encase there was something going on that she did not want to see.

"Guys?" she called out, a little bit louder than she would normally do it to make sure that they heard her if they were preoccupied. When they didn't say anything, she figured that it would be safe to uncover her eyes. "I'm gonna look now. You better not be naked."

She dropped her hand and looked around the room for her best friends. She wasn't surprised to see them on the bed, but she was surprised to see that they were sleeping already. She couldn't remember the last time Brooke had gone to bed early. Though, they had been through so much lately and she couldn't blame them for wanting to get a good night's sleep for once.

She smiled sweetly at the adorable couple snuggled up together and closed the door, leaving them alone. She walked back downstairs to join Karen, Taylor and the Davis' in the dining room. When she entered, she wasn't surprised to find that it was the exact same as it was when she left it; completely silent.

"Everything okay?" Taylor asked Peyton as she reentered the room and sat back down in her spot at the table. She was worried about her sister, afraid that she would be crying somewhere. What Brooke said was harsh, and if anyone else had said that to her baby sister, she would have kicked their ass, but she knew for a fact that Brooke didn't mean it at all, she had just go caught up in the moment is all.

"I'm thinking so," she commented with a smirk, sending it to Karen and Taylor, but making sure that Angela saw it as well. Deep inside, she couldn't really blame the woman for acting the way she was, she had just learned that her daughter was something completely different than she thought she was, but she was going about it all wrong. Peyton couldn't feel too sorry for her though, considering she knew what a horrible bitch she had been to Brooke throughout her entire life. "They were fast asleep."

"Already?" Karen asked, glancing at her watch to check the time. She knew it wasn't that late, it just felt like it. She imagined anything with Angela Davis usually felt longer than it really was. She really was a dreadful woman. "It's only eight."

"They've had a long week," Peyton responded. Both women knew that was more than true and nodded emphatically. She glanced at Brooke's mother. "We all have."

"I think you all should be going now," Angela stated, suddenly feeling three pairs of eyes on her. She hated the way things had gone with Brooke, and she didn't feel like entertaining guests at the moment. All she wanted to do was get a bottle of wine and drink her sorrows away.

"I'll go get the girls," Taylor began to say as she stood up from the table. She couldn't say that she was surprised that they were getting kicked out, nor could she say she was disappointed. She was more than happy to get the hell out here.

"It's alright," Angela stopped her, standing up as Peyton did as well. Mr. Davis still remained silence, eating his dinner as if there was nothing going on around him. "Just leave them, they can stay here tonight."

"Okay." Taylor and Peyton shared a look, trying to figure out what had just happened. They shrugged and started moving towards the hallway. Once they were out of the room, Karen pushed her chair back and stood up, her face stone cold.

"Look," she began, her voice a tone that matched her expression perfectly. She was pissed and she looked and sounded it. She wasn't the kind of person to get angry very often. They only time she ever yelled was when it came to Lucas and Haley; no one messed with her kids. "I understand that you are a close minded person, I'm not trying to change you. People are who they are and it would be wrong of me to judge you on your beliefs."

"But?"

"But that's your daughter," she continued, her voice cracking a little as she thought about how Brooke must feel every time her mother left her or threw money at her or told her what to do. "You may not agree with what she's doing with her life, but you're just going to have to accept that. She's in love, I know she is because I see the way they are together, and the way they look at each other … I've never seen two people more in love."

"But they're only sixteen…"

"Age ain't nothing but a number," Karen said in a singsong voice. She knew that Angela was starting to understand where she was coming from. She and Angela Davis may not be the same people, they may not have the same size house or the same bank account, but they were both mothers, and that's all Karen needed to know how to get to her. "You daughter is happy. Over the moon, on cloud nice, cotton candy and rainbows happy. What mother wouldn't want that for their child?"

"I do want her to be happy," Angela whispered, not believing that she was actually letting this woman that she had just meet get to her like this.

"Then just let her be with Haley," Karen advised her. She was happy to see that she was finally getting through to the other woman. "If you don't, you're going to lose her because if you make her choose between you and her, she's going to choose Haley without a second thought. I know she will."

"The sad thing is, I know she will too," Angela answered. Her eyes fluttered over to her husband and she was surprised to find that he was watching them, listening to their conversation. She could tell that he agreed with Karen. She was being double-teamed.

"Then I suggest that you make things right with her," Karen told her, backing away slightly, letting Angela know that she was starting to finish off. "If you want her in your life, even if it's just for your monthly breakfast together, then I recommend that you open up your eyes and see how happy Haley makes Brooke."

"It's harder than you think," Angela argued, lamely. "I want to be okay with it, I want to be closer with Brooke, but it's just too hard. I can take the drinking, I can take the sleeping around, but for her to completely go against everything that I ever taught her… God, I sound like a completely homophobe."

"No offence," Karen lied. "But aren't you one?"

"I don't necessarily agree with the lifestyle," she answered. "But you know what, people can do what they please in their bedrooms, but when that bedroom is in my house then it's my business and I don't want it here."

"I know what it's like to have a daughter," Karen began, sensing that Angela was starting to break. Karen would always tell when another mother was having troubles with their child; they'd get a lost and pained look that only a mother could have. "I consider Haley to be mine, so I understand what you're going through, I do. I know that the life she has chosen isn't going to be easy, but I also know that knowing I said was going to change her mind."

"Basically, you're saying I either accept Brooke's decision, even if I don't agree with it, or I'll lose her forever?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." With one last nod and an uncomfortable smile, she walked in the same direction that Taylor and Peyton had just been walking in, patting Mr. Davis on the shoulder on her way passed. Angela stood there, watching Karen go, contemplating her words.

"You know she's right," Mr. Davis spoke, looking directly at his wife for the first time that evening. Angela's eyes met his and she nodded her head slowly, sadly, in defeat.

………**.WWHT……….**

"Night, Karen," Taylor called as she and Peyton drove away. Earlier that night, Taylor had driven the three teenage girls over to Karen's house and they had decided to head over to the Davis Mansion in Karen's car instead. After Karen got inside, Taylor and Peyton piled back into Taylor's car and started driving home.

"Well tonight was eventful," Peyton mused as she stared out the window, watching the familiar scenery of Tree Hill rush back her. It was dark out, but the glow from the streetlights was enough to help her see what was in front of her.

"Oh, yeah," Taylor wholeheartedly agreed.

"Always is at the Davis house though," Peyton continued. She glanced over at Taylor to find that the blonde had her eyes glued to the road. "I mean, I get that it sucks Brooke's mom is such a bitch and everything, but at the same time, I'm so jealous of the fact that she has one."

"But she's never there, right?" Taylor asked, glancing at Peyton quickly before looking back at the road. She knew where Peyton was coming from, Haley had told her about what happened to the blonde's mom when she was younger. Peyton shrugged.

"She's there sometimes," Peyton answered quietly. "Which is more than I can say for my dad." She loved her dad, she did, but a little web cam conversation every other week didn't really make up for his lack of presence in the house. "At least Brooke's mom cares enough to want to have breakfast with her every month. I can't ever remember the last time I had a conversation with my dad that didn't involve a computer screen."

"Your house must be pretty lonely, huh?" Taylor knew where she was coming from about absentee parents, her and Haley's were always gone as well, but at least they had each other. Brooke had the serving staff at her mansion, but Peyton didn't have anyone.

"It can be," Peyton answered. She couldn't believe that she was admitting this to someone, especially someone that wasn't even her best friend. She always played if off when Brooke or Haley brought it up, but for some reason she was willing to talk about it with Taylor. "Jake's always busy. He has work, and school, basketball and Jenny. I hardly see him anymore. I don't even know if we're still together. We might have broken up, I haven't checked my emails yet today."

"Well, you know you have Brooke and Haley," Taylor tried to make her feel better. She hated the loneliness she could hear in Peyton's voice. She glanced at Peyton when they got to a red light. "And you Karen, Lucas, me."

"Thanks, Tay," Peyton sighed, trying to ignore the red light that was right in front of her. Ever since she had gotten over her 'running red lights to see what will happen' phase, every time she saw one, she got incredibly nervous. Taylor smiled at her and stepped on the gas when the light turned green.

"Hey," Taylor began, an idea coming to her mind. "What do you say you leave that empty house for a night? You can crash with me, maybe sleep in Haley's room."

"Really?" Peyton didn't know why the idea sounded so good to her ears. Taylor nodded.

"Yeah," she assured her. "I know that it might seem weird without Haley being there and all, but we're friends, right?" Peyton nodded. "We can watch some lame ass chick flicks and make a slumber party out of it. What do you say?"

"I say it sounds like a great idea," Peyton concluded, sending Taylor a genuinely bright smile. "Just stop off at my house so I can get a change of clothes." Taylor agreed and they continued to talk, moving away from the depressive stuff and starting to plan out the rest of their evening.

**...WWHT...**

That's all for now. I know that there wasn't much Brooke/Haley stuff in there, but I really wanted to set this up for the next few chapters. I hoping to wrap this up soon so I can start the prequel and I think I know just how I want to end this. Please tell me what you thought of the chapter.

**Important Question:** There have been a few people asking me to put Taylor and Peyton together, so I thought I'd ask what you guys thought about it. I kinda set it up a little bit here, but if you don't like it, I can just make them friends. I don't plan on having Jake in this anytime soon, nor will he be in the sequel, so if you were holding out for some Jeyton action, I wouldn't count on it.


	26. As Close to Perfect As You Can Get

_Author's Note:_ Hey, all. Thank you so much for the continuing reviews, especially the ones for the last chapter. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the Taylor/Peyton relationship/friendship, but I have a pretty good idea, I think. Either way, the story almost coming to a close, maybe just a few more chapters so they won't play that big of a part anyway, but they will definitely be in the sequel. Anyway, please make sure that you guys continue to review for this chapter, it will really mean a lot to me. Thanks.

**...WWHT…**

Brooke moaned slightly as she started to come to. She could tell that she was in her own bed because of the way the sun was coming through the window and hitting her in the face. The window in Haley's room was on the other side, and Peyton always had the blinds closed in her room. It took her a moment to remember why she was at her house, before the events of last night came back to her.

She remembered comforting Haley as she was crying, something she both loved and hated to do. She loved being able to make her feel better, and to hold her in her arms, but she just couldn't stand seeing Haley crying for any reason. She made a face as she recalled all the things that she had said at the dinner table.

Soon, a smile spread on her face as she remembered what happened after they had made up. She could still feel Haley's hands all over her body, the way her fingertips felt as they brushed against her bare skin. A slight shiver ran through Brooke's body and a huge smile spread across her lips.

She slowly opened her eyes, making sure that she did her best to avoid looking in the direction of her window. She immediately turned to her right so she was facing her girlfriend. The sight that greeted her almost made her heart melt, Haley was just so damn cute, especially in the morning. Seeing how beautiful Haley looked when she was sleeping made her wonder how she ever slept alone.

At some point during the night, they had managed to change their positions, something they tended to do every night. Brooke wasn't sure who was the restless sleeper, but they always seemed to wake up in a different position then when they went to sleep.

Brooke remembered that they had gone to bed early last night, spooning, if she was correct. Somehow, Haley had managed to get her on her back and was now snuggled up against her side, with her hand resting against she shoulder and her arm draped across her stomach.

Brooke giggled quietly at the look on Haley's face. She brought the arm that was already around Haley and buried it in her hair, pulling her head closer to her. She pressed her lips Haley's forehead. When she removed her lips, she just let Haley's head rest against hers, a content smile on her face. She brought her other hand and interlaced her fingers with Haley's as they rested on her stomach.

After a few moments of just lying in silence, basking in the sunlight together, there was a soft knock on her door. The didn't think that her mother would want to talk to them, and she couldn't remember the last time her father had come up to her room. For a moment she thought that maybe Peyton had spent the night in a guest bedroom and was coming to see them, but that thought was denied when Brooke glanced at the clock to see what time it was; it was only seven. Peyton Sawyer did not get her ass out of bed any early than eleven o'clock on a weekend.

"Come in," she called out, covering Haley's exposed ear with the hand that was already in her hair. She didn't want to wake up yet, especially if that was who she could only assume it was. The last thing she wanted to do was exposed Haley to another meeting with the Hell Beast.

"I was hoping you'd be awake," was the first thing her mother said as she opened up the door and stuck her head. She waited a moment before pushing it open completely. She entered the room with a cup of hot coffee in her hands, dressed as if she herself had just gotten out of bed. She was even still wearing her housecoat.

"We went to bed early," Brooke reminded her, trying her best to keep her voice neutral. She really wasn't in the mood to start another fight with her mother, especially this early in the morning and with Haley right there. She couldn't be held responsible for all the things she says when she fighting with her mother.

"Right, I forgot," she lied, closing the door and moving further into the room. As much as it killed her, she couldn't help but smile at just how adorable her daughter looked all snuggled up with her girlfriend. Maybe she was wrong about her daughter's intentions with Haley, they certainly looked like they were in love.

"What's up?" Brooke asked, shifting silently so she wasn't completely on her back. She wanted to be able to see her mother, but didn't want to wake Haley or lose her hold on her. "I didn't think I'd see you till next month."

"That's usually a pretty safe assumption," Angela replied, and if Brooke didn't know any better, she'd think she heard regret in her voice. Angela sighed and sat down on the bed, careful not to wake Haley. "Look, I got to thinking last night and…"

"Wait," Brooke stopped her before she could get any further. "Do you think this might take a while?" Angela nodded her head, thinking over all the things she wanted to say to her daughter.

"Probably." Brooke nodded.

"Okay, then we should go to another room," she suggested. "Haley had a little accident the other day, and I think she needs as much sleep as she can get." Angela nodded and stood up, walking to the door to wait. She watched as Brooke carefully untangled herself from Haley's arms and gave her a loving kiss on the lips before standing up. "I'll just be downstairs, baby."

With one more quick kiss, Brooke joined her mother. They left the room, closing the door so Haley wouldn't be disturbed and began walking towards the stairs in silence. Finally, Angela broke the silence.

"What happened to her?" Angela asked as they descended the stairs. She had noticed before that Haley had a slight bruise on her face and a swollen lip. She had thought about asking yesterday, but she didn't care enough then. Now though, after thinking things over, talking to Karen and seeing how cute they were together, she was curious and maybe even a little worried.

"You mean last night?" Brooke asked and continued without waiting for an answer. "Well, you got me going as usual and I completely lost my mind, saying a bunch of crap that I didn't mean in the slightest…"

"Not that," Angela cut her off with a smile. The more open minded she was about Brooke and Haley's relationship, the more cute she thought it was. Brooke looked at her in confusion. "You said she had an accident, back in your room that's what you said. I was just wondering what happened?"

"You care?" Brooke asked as they reached the bottom of the spiral staircase and started walking towards the living room. She wasn't trying to be rude or accuse her mother of anything; she was just genuinely surprised at her apparent concern.

"Yeah, I do," Angela answered, biting her tongue so she didn't say something mean. She could understand why Brooke was surprise; in fact her concern kind of surprised her as well. "I noticed she looked a little bruised last night at dinner, but I didn't want to say anything."

"It was just something that happened at a party the other night," Brooke told her, pushing the horrible feelings to the back of her head. She could remember everything about that night in exact detail. It was horrible. "Theresa and a few of the other cheerleaders cornered Hales in the pool house."

"Theresa hurt her?" Angela asked, surprised at Brooke's answer. She had meet Theresa a few times; she knew some things about her. She didn't know the girl as well as she knew Peyton, but the last time she checked, they were friends.

"Yeah, beat the crap out of her," Brooke explained, letting out a bitter laugh. They rounded the corner and entered the living room. Brooke plopped down on the couch and Angela sat down on the chair Mr. Davis had been sitting in the night before. "Me and Peyton got there just in time. I was trying to get her to let Haley go, but Haley said something and Theresa slammed her head against the floor."

"But she was okay?"

"I then proceeded to beat the crap out of Theresa and Peyton called the ambulance," Brooke continued. She shrugged as she reached the end of the story. "She had to stay the night at the hospital, but she was pretty much okay."

"You came here for breakfast the next morning, didn't you?" Angela asked, trying to work out the dates in her head. Brooke nodded, still feeling guilty about leaving Haley alone in the hospital that day. "That's why you guys were being all cutesy on the phone, cause she was in the hospital?"

"No, because we're in love," Brooke corrected her. She still couldn't believe that her mother didn't understand the concept of being in love. She assumed that the only reason she'd have to tell Haley she loved her was because she was hurt. "We always talk to each other that way. Then again, you'd know that if you were ever around."

"So this is what this is all really about?" Angela asked, letting out a sigh as Brooke began to get bitter, it was always the same old thing that they fought over. "The fact that I'm not around enough? You don't seem too bothered by it when you get your allowance."

"What all of what is about?" Brooke questioned. Was this a new record for them? It's been maybe two minutes and they're already fighting. No, if anything, this is good for them. "You're the one that came to my room to talk to me, okay? I didn't ask to have this conversation."

"But it's always the same…" Angela stopped herself, biting her tongue. This wasn't going the way she had hoped it would. She wanted to talk about Brooke and Haley's relationship, not her's and Brooke's, that conversation would take a lot longer to get through. "Look, I just wanted to apologize about what happened last night."

"You do?" Brooke asked in surprise. She couldn't remember the last time that her mother had apologized about something.

"When Peyton came down and told us that you guys were asleep," Angela began to explain. "I told them to let you guys stay here for the night. After Peyton and Haley's sister left, Karen said somethings to me."

"Did she tell you how to be a mother?" Brooke mumbled under her breath. She glanced up and saw the look on her mom's face and she assumed that meant she heard what she said. She slumped her shoulders, feeling bad about what she had said. As much as she hated to admit it, her mother tried her best. "I didn't mean that. You're not the only one to blame for the way our relationship is."

"She just told me that I needed to get over myself and accept your relationship with Haley," Angela continued, hiding the smile that threatened to appear at Brooke's words. She had been waiting forever to hear her say something like that. "She told me that if I wanted to be in your life, then I would have to accept that Haley will be in it too. If I didn't, then I'd lose you, and I don't want to lose you."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if you'd like to start over again, I'd be more than willing to do that," Angela explained. It hurt her to have to swallow her pride like that, go against he beliefs and allow this to happen in her house, but ultimately her family won out. Not many people would believe it, but she was willing to do anything for her family.

"Really?" Brooke asked, slight excitement creeping into her voice. She always denied it to anyone that asked, but her mother's approval really did matter to her. And when she wasn't around, it hurt her more than she tended to let on.

"Really." Angela smiled at the excitement that could be heard in her voice. "Your father and I have to be somewhere this week, but if Haley's willing to give me another chance, I'd love to have dinner with the two of you next weekend."

"Thank you, mom," Brooke told her, genuinely thankful for her mother's new found attitude. She got up and gave her mother a hug. "That means a lot to me."

"You're welcome."

Mr. Davis stood at the entrance of the room, coffee in hand as he watched the two most important women in his life. He always knew that if one of them would just swallow their pride, then they could get along just great. He watched them for a moment longer before heading in the direction of the kitchen.

**...WWHT…**

"She really said that?" Haley asked as she shut the passenger side door of Brooke's silver Bug. By the time Brooke had woken her up and they had gotten dressed and showered, the Davis' had already left for their vacation, leaving Brooke to tell her girlfriend about their plans for next weekend.

"I'm still as shocked as you are," Brooke laughed, coming around from her side of the car to meet Haley. When she finally reached her side, she gave her a quick kiss before lacing their fingers together and walking towards Haley's front door. "It was so surreal."

"It sounds like it," Haley agreed, glancing over at Brooke. She couldn't help but noticed the thousand watt smile on Brooke's face. She was so happy to see that Brooke was finally starting to get her life together. Now all she needed was to work things out with her parents and things would be perfect.

"We'll have to thank Karen the next time we see her," Brooke suggested, waiting for Haley to find her key so they could get into her house. She was surprised thatTaylor remembered to actually lock the door, normally she forgot and it would go left open all night, something that usually scared Brooke when she wasn't there to check it.

"Oh, maybe we can get her a nice gift basket!" Brooke laughed at Haley's excitement and shook her head. How she ever got so lucky to get a girl as amazing as Haley, she'll never know. Without warning, she leaned forward and captured Haley's lips with her own, pressing her against the still closed door.

The feelings that spread through her were much like the ones she had felt the night before when they were making out on her bed. She knew that things weren't going to get as far as they did last night, since it was the broad daylight and they were outside for anyone to see, but for some unknown reason, she just suddenly felt the need to be against Haley.

"Wow," Haley breathed once they pulled their lips apart. She quickly glanced around to make sure that no one had seen them. Luckily, it was still too early for most people to be outside. Haley giggled and brought a hand up to Brooke's lips to feel just how swollen they were. "Not that I'm complaining, but what brought that on?"

"You're just so cute," Brooke answered, closing her eyes as Haley traced the inside of her bottom lip. "It's just, now that my parents know and everything, it just seems so official, you know? I mean, my mom's never even meet any of my other boyfriends. It's just so cool and I suddenly had this urge to kiss you."

"Sounds like a nice enough reason," Haley blushed. She didn't think she'd ever see the day when Brooke Davis would be her official girlfriend. Sure, they had been officially dating for a while, but know that people knew, it just seemed that much more official. It seemed like everyday they were getting closer to that white picket fence.

"Come on, baby," Brooke said, pulling back from Haley's body and letting her free. She reached for the doorknob that had already been unlocked and turned it, opening the door. "Let's go wake up that deadbeat sister of yours," she suggested as she pulled Haley into the house and shut the door. They started making their way through the house.

"Then we can call Pey and we can go over to Karen's to celebrate," Haley agreed, walking into the living room. Brooke nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist. Just as she was about to say something, a sight on the couch caught her eye.

"Aww," she gushed, pulling Haley to a halt before she went any further. Haley looked at her confused for moment, until she saw where she was looking. Her gaze traveled over to the couch where Peyton and Taylor were snuggled up under a blanket, sound asleep. "Look at them!"

"Aren't they just the cutest?"

"Well, second cutest," Brooke corrected her, giving her a noisy, wet kiss on the cheek. Haley giggled at the feeling and turned back to look at her best friend and sister.

"I wonder what happened her last night," Haley mused, pulling away from Brooke and moving to start cleaning up the mess that the two girls had made. Brooke watched Haley bend down with a smile, enjoying the view. She quickly wiped the smirk off her face as Haley turned back around. "A little help here, missy?"

"Nah, I like it right here, good view," Brooke teased. She quickly started cleaning when she received a glare from Haley. Once they had everything cleared up and the dishes were in the sink, they were standing in front of the sleeping couple, arguing over what they should do.

"Should we wake them up?"

"No, let them sleep," Brooke decided. "Look how cute they are."

"Okay," Haley shrugged, starting to walk away.

"How great is this?" Brooke asked excitedly, which brought Haley to a halt and turned her back around with a sigh. This is where Brooke gets a stupid plan. "If Peyton and Taylor get together, then Peyton will be like your sister in law, which would make her like my sister in law, we could all be one big happy family!"

"Brooke, they're not a couple."

"We can go on double dates," she continued, completely ignoring Haley's comment. She was not going to let something as unimportant as logic get in the way of her fun. "We can have a double wedding and our kids can grow up together…"

"Brooke," Haley interrupted, wanting to make sure that she got her attention before things got out of hand. She grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to face her. "Peyton and Taylor are not a couple. Peyton is dating Jake and Taylor is currently dating what's his name, okay? They just had a movie night and fell asleep on the couch. Nothing else, okay?"

"But, Hales…"

"Okay?" Haley repeated, wanting to make sure that Brooke understood that she was not to get involved in this or try to cook up some stupid plan to make this happen. Brooke let out an overdramatic sigh, as if all her hopes and dreams had been shattered.

"Okay," she agreed. Haley smiled at her, glad that she was letting this go.

"I'm going to go call Karen and tell her that we're coming," Haley told her, giving her a kiss before pulling away from her. "Can you wake them up?"

"Sure thing," Brooke told her, giving her a bright smile as she walked out of the room. As soon as Haley was out of sight, Brooke's sweet smile turned into a devilish one as she turned back around to face the sleeping girls.

Oh, they were going to get together, all right. Whether Haley liked it or not.

**...WWHT…**

That's all she wrote, or all I wrote. I hope that you liked it and are enjoying where this is going. I think this is definitely coming to an end soon, but I'm not sure how many more chapters I'm going to do. Please tell me what you think, and I'll be sure to take everyone's opinions into consideration. Thanks for reading.


	27. It's Just A Little Lovin'

_Author's Note:_ Hey, all. I was in a Baley mood for some reason, so I thought that I'd just go ahead and write an update for all you wonderful people out there in fanfiction land. I think I'm going to try to get this up to 30 chapters before I finish. That gives me four chapters to wrap this up and I think that's plenty of time, since it's pretty much already finished. I think the rest of the story should pretty much be fluff and stuff, nothing too dramatic is planned to happen, but I have been known to change my mind rather quickly if I get a good idea. So I wouldn't count my word as that much. Hope you enjoy this chapter and be sure to review, if makes me want to update faster.

**...WWHT…**

"Karen's gonna have breakfast all ready for us," Haley said as she reentered the living room to find only Brooke sitting on the couch where her sister and Peyton had been resting the last time she had been in the room. "Was it something I said?"

"Nah," Brooke laughed and waved it off. "Come here, Princess."

"Princess?" Haley laughed at the name. Not once since they started dating had Brooke ever called her that. There must be something up. "Since when do you call me Princess? It sounds like you're calling an old, ridiculously old cat."

"Oh, shut up and sit on my lap," Brooke told her, mock glaring at her. She had to be extra sweet, but not so much so that Haley caught on. It wasn't like she was doing anything wrong, but she did promise Haley she wouldn't mess with Peyton and Taylor, so technically she was lying or breaking a promise.

"You're bossy," Haley commented, but moved to oblige her suddenly demanding girlfriend. She walked over to the couch and plopped herself down on Brooke's lap, making sure that she didn't out too much dead weight on top of her. "But I like it when you boss me around."

"Oh, really?" Brooke raised an eyebrow, enjoying Haley's flirting. She was amazed that after all of this time, she still wasn't tired of flirting with her girlfriend. There was just something about Haley, like she would always say something that would throw you off guard. "I didn't know that."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," Haley told her in a cutest voice, wrapping her arms around Brooke's neck and giving her a winning smile.

"Oh, really?" Brooke questioned, suddenly finding it hard to breath with Haley so close to her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and didn't bother to hide the idiot grin that appeared on her face when she smelled that smell that was so completely Haley.

"Really, really." Haley nodded, an incredibly adore smile plastered on her face. It melted Brooke's heart.

"Like what?" Without giving her a verbal answer, Haley quickly leaned forward and brought her lips crashing down onto Brooke's. Brooke was caught off guard for a moment at the sudden attack, but it didn't take her long to spring into action. She quickly moved her mouth with Haley's slipping her tongue into her girlfriend's mouth to dance with her's.

Her mind was swimming, as she tasted the inside of Haley's mouth. When they pulled apart slightly to catch their breaths for a split second, she licked her lips and could swear she tasted her lip-gloss on Haley. She hadn't gotten a chance to put it on yet, so Haley must have put some on when she was in the shower. Naught girl.

Before she had a chance to ask Haley about it, their lips were brought back together. Haley carefully shifted in her position, not breaking their contact as she brought her leg to the other side of Brooke's body, straddling her. Brooke smiled against Haley's lips, allowing Haley to bite on her bottom lip.

Haley moved up, pushing their bodies closer, positioning herself so she was taller than Brooke, looking down on her. Their lips still attached. Haley didn't know where all over this stuff was coming from. Like last night, she was didn't know what came over her, but all of a sudden, she knew she was ready. Sure, she had always said that she was going to wait until she got married, but she already knew that she and Brooke were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

Brooke laughed on the inside at Haley's actions, trying to figure out when exactly her sweet innocent Tutor Girl had turned into a sex machine and how she hadn't notice. In her head she knew that she shouldn't be doing this, that Haley wanted to wait until she was married, and she might regret doing this, but there was just something in Brooke, something that hadn't been there last night, telling her that she needed this. Brooke quickly shut off her brain, telling herself that if Haley wanted this, she wasn't going to say no again.

Before she knew what she was doing, her hands were traveling down Haley sides, moving down her tights, rubbing them up and down. She could feel Haley smile against her lips at the touch. She threw caution to the wind and brought her hands up, resting them on Haley's ass, pulling her closer to her, deepening the kiss even more.

"Booooooo," chanted a voice from behind, telling them that a show wasn't needed nor wanted. The girls stopping moving, but didn't tear their lips apart, or bother to move their hands. "We leave the room for five minutes…"

"You guys are pathetic," Taylor told them, eyeing their position from the doorway, Peyton standing by her side. The two were both changed into new clothes, their hair not washed, but combed at least. "We'll be in the car when you're ready."

"Don't be too long," Peyton said with a giggle before following the older girl out the front door to wait in the car. Once they were sure the blondes were out of the room, and out of house, both Brooke and Haley bursts into fits of giggles at the same time.

"I'm gonna kill her," Haley mumbled. She sighed, bringing her weight back down on Brooke's lap, slumping against her once she was seated. Brooke laughed softly, looking adoringly at the pout that Haley had placed on her face.

"Which one?" As much as Brooke had been enjoying the very heated make out session they had just gotten themselves into, she knew that nothing was going to come of it. Even when she was lost in Haley's lips, in the back of her head, she remembered that the blondes were just upstairs and would be coming down at any minute.

"Both," Haley mumbled, sliding off Brooke's lap in into a standing position in from of her. "I'll take Tay, you get Peyton. Sound like a plan?"

"I didn't call you Tutor Girl for nothing," Brooke answered with a smile. Haley rolled her eyes and held out her hand for Brooke to take. She made sure that her feet were firmly planted on the ground, knowing that Brooke would probably try to pull her back down on the couch. Brooke took the offered hand and after frowning when she noticed that Haley wasn't budging, she let the other brunette pull her up.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to finish that properly," Haley whispered into Brooke's ear when she pulled her against her. Brooke felt a shiver run down her spine when Haley's breath caressed the sensitive skin on her neck.

"Don't be silly, baby," Brooke told her, pulling back to look into her eyes. She gave her yet another adoring smile when she saw the lip gloss all over Haley's face and how messed up her hair was. She also noted that there was no look that Haley didn't look beautiful wearing. She carefully started wiping it off her face. "It wasn't your fault. I hold Taylor and Peyton solely responsible."

"But still," Haley couldn't help but argue. She knew that Brooke was probably getting frustrated. She could see it in her eyes last night, when she had to stop herself from letting things get carried away. "I wasn't ready before, and now that I am, every time we try, we get interrupted."

"Then I guess we weren't ready to do it yet," Brooke reasoned. She gently reached up and pushed a loose strained off Haley's hair out of her face and behind her ear. She let her hand rest on her cheek for a moment, before leaning forward and pressing her lips to Haley's forehead. "It'll happen when it's supposed to happen."

"Thanks, Tigger." Haley couldn't believe how great Brooke was being about everything. If someone had told her a month ago that she was going to be completely head over heels in love with Brooke Davis, she would have thought they were crazy. It just goes to show, that you never do know what could happen.

"Anything for you, my sweet and adorable Haley," Brooke told her, pulling her into a soft hug. Haley relaxed at the touch and suddenly felt so much more reassured. She always knew that Brooke wasn't going to leave this relationship, and especially not over something like this. They were in this for the long haul. "Let's get out of here."

"I like the sounds of that," Haley agreed, looking around the empty house. Brooke slipped her arm around Haley's waist and they started towards the door. Just as Brooke opened the door and was about to step out, Haley pulled her back for a moment to whisper in her ear. "Oh, by the way; I like it on top."

"What?" Brooke squeaked, completely caught off caught at the commented. Where the hell did that come from? Haley giggled and pulled back.

"Before you asked for an example of what you didn't know about me," Haley explained, a devilish yet still innocent smile on her face. The completely stunned look on Brooke's face was priceless. "I like it on top." Without giving Brooke a chance to reply again, Haley pulled out of her hold and skipped out the door, towards the car.

Brooke stood in the front door, her mouth hung open at what she had just heard. There was just something about that damn Haley James that always seemed to melt her heart. How was it possible to say something like what she had just said, and still look absolutely adorable? If she wasn't turned on before from their early activities, then she sure as hell was now.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a car horn hooking no more than ten feet in front of her. She jumped at the sound, looking to see that it was coming from the car full of her three favorite girls. She could see the annoyed looks on Taylor and Peyton's faces, and the smile on Haley's. She shook her head and quickly shut the door, running towards the car and jumping into the back seat with her girlfriend.

"Finally," Taylor sighed, turning around in her seat to look at the newly filled backseat of her car. She rolled her eyes at their appearances. It was so obvious that they had just been all over each other. "Are we ready to go now?"

"Yes."

"Let's roll," Peyton suggested from the passenger seat. Taylor didn't waste any time, backing out of the driveway and pulling out into the street. As they drove down the street, both girls in the backseat couldn't keep the smiles off their faces.

**...WWHT…**

"You can start the party," Taylor announced as the four girls entered the almost completely empty café. Taylor looked around the place in confusion, spotting Karen leaning against the counter, looking bored out of her mind. "We're here."

"I think it's safe to say that we didn't miss the party," Peyton commented, following right behind Taylor, holding the door open for the happy couple to come in as well. Brooke and Haley were too completely wrapped up in each other to realize that the place was dead when they walked in.

"Hi, girls," Karen greeted from behind the counter. She was so glad to see them; she was about to go insane. The only other person in the entire place was an elderly couple that was less than friendly, so she was pretty much left to her own devices until they needed any help.

"Wow, it's packed in here," Brooke commented sarcastically when she finally took the time to stop giggling and teasing Haley. Haley playfully slapped Brooke and mock leered at her. "Ah, baby, come on. There's nothing like a little joke in the morning to get everyone woken up."

"Too bad it wasn't funny," Haley shot back with a smirk, slipping into the stool beside Peyton. Brooke stood back; pretending to be hurt at her girlfriend's such harsh words. She held her hand to her chest and gasped dramatically.

"I hope you know that you just dashed my dreams of becoming a stand up comic," Brooke told her, plopping down on the other side of Haley. Taylor rolled her eyes and sat down beside Peyton.

"Well, at least you still have your life long dream of becoming a pole dancer to fall back on." Haley couldn't help but laugh at the look of pure shock on Brooke's face, and the surprisingly proud one on Taylor's.

"Oh, snap," Peyton laughed, holding her fist up to give Haley props for her comeback. The girls continued to laugh and Taylor and Haley shared a high five as Brooke tried to gather her wits.

"That was low, Tutor Girl," Brooke told her, even though she was slightly proud of Haley for saying that. Haley, Peyton, Taylor and Karen looked at her, knowing that she wasn't really upset about it. "But good shot. Nicely played."

"I learn from the best," Haley told her sweetly. The girls smiled at each other and started sharing kisses and becoming completely engrossed in each other. Peyton and Taylor rolled their eyes, choosing to ignore them and turned to Karen.

"And there they go," Peyton complained, snarling in their direction, though she was only half serious about her anger. She knew that they were in love, and that's what people did when they were in love. Hell, she and Jake were probably like that when they first started going out, but not anymore. Now, they barely saw each other.

"Aw, cheer up, Buttercup," Taylor laughed at her, finding it cute that she was jealous of her best friends. Peyton pouted even more and Taylor laughed, ruffling her hair.

"I miss Jake," Peyton sighed. Truth was, she didn't really miss Jake, she just missed having someone there with her to do that stuff with. And she knew there was something wrong with the fact that she didn't care whether it was with Jake or not.

"Did you get to spend his last night with him?" Karen asked, as she moved towards the coffee pot to see if it was done yet. She smiled when it was, turning the machine off and bringing the pot over to the counter so she could talk and pour at the same time.

"Last night?" Peyton asked, completely confused at what Karen was saying. Jake was going somewhere? That was news to her.

"Yeah," Karen said, carefully pouring four cups of coffee. "He booked all of this week off because he was taking Jenny up to visit his grandparents in Charlotte." Peyton's mouth hung open.

"He what?" she questioned. Before Karen could answer, she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Forget it, why would he tell me he was going to be gone for the rest of the week? I'm only his girlfriend, after all."

"Not to promote the guy," Taylor interrupted, smiling as Karen handed her the cup of yummy morning goodness. "But haven't you spent the last like four nights with Brooke and Haley?" Peyton nodded. "Did you happen to call him at all to tell him where you'd be staying?"

"Well, I mean, that's different," Peyton tried to argue. She saw the look on Taylor's face and she slumped her shoulders and let out a puff of air. "Shut up."

"Aw, poor Pey Pey," Taylor teased, wrapping an arm around her and bringing her into a sideways hug. Peyton leaned into the hug, but made sure to keep the sour look on her face. She reached over towards Haley, grabbing a handful of her hair and pulled on it slightly, enough to get her attention, but not so much that it really hurt her.

"Ow!" she cried. She brought her hand up to rest on the back of her head and pulled away from Brooke. "What the hell was that about?"

"I told you to stop calling me Pey Pey," the blonde grumbled, avoiding the death glare she was getting from both brunettes. Haley continued to stare at her, her eyes wide and her free hand gesturing rapidly.

"I was macking on Brooke," Haley argued, her voice full of confusion. "How could I have called you that?"

"You passed it on." Peyton pointed to the girl that was beside her, who still had her arm wrapped around her. "It must be a James thing."

"You know what else is a James thing?" Taylor asked, eyeing her little sister with a smirk. "Being incredibly adorable." She gave Peyton a winning smile, showing her just how adorable she could be. Peyton couldn't help but laugh at the expression on her face, and let a smile break through.

"I know something else that runs in the James family," Brooke whispered to Haley, once the two blondes were busy talking to Karen. Haley gave her a pointed look, telling her to drop it.

"Tigger!" she scolded in a hushed whisper. Brooke laughed.

"Oh come on, Hales," she cried, gesturing towards the two with her hand. "Look at them. They are all over each other and they were totally flirting."

"Taylor was comforting her about something, I'm not sure what cause I was distracted by your tongue down my throat," Haley began. "And both Peyton and Taylor flirt with anything that breaths. They're like Paris and Nicole, for God's sake." Brooke bit her tongue, trying to decide whether they should get into this argument here. She glanced over Haley's shoulder to watch the two, to see how they interact with each other. It was so plain as day to Brooke, and she knew that if Haley just looked hard enough, she'd see it to.

"Fine," Brooke agreed with her cheerfully, deciding just to drop it for now. "Your wish is my command." Brooke took Haley's hand, bringing it up to her lips and placing a soft kiss on them. Haley giggled at her antics and smiled fondly at her. "I'll let it be. What's meant to happen, will happen."

"Thank you." Brooke nodded mutely, a plan already starting to form in her head. If she wanted them to get together, she was just going to have to make it happen herself.

This was going to be fun.

**...WWHT…**

I hope that you guys liked it. I'm still not sure what I'm gonna do with the Taylor /Peyton thing, but I'm leaving it open so I can decide. Either way, I don't think that we'll know until the sequel anyway. I don't know. I have a couple of questions to ask.

**_Important Question #2:_** Like I said above in the AN, I'm probably going to have three more chapters, after this one, and then bring it to an end. I'm gonna wait a while to start the sequel and focus on the prequel first. I've got the first chapter of the prequel done, but I was wondering if you guys think I should wait to post that until I'm done this one, or start it now. Tell me what you think.

Don't forget to review. Thanks to all for reading and an advanced thanks for reviewing.


	28. Dinner's On You

_Author's Note:_ What up, everyone? I hope that you liked the last chapter. It sucks that I just happened to post it right before the site has some kind of spaz attack, but I'm hoping that doesn't happen tonight. Well, I just decided to replace Kate with Taylor because I love Taylor so much. I also thought that were kinda the same anyway, but Kate was a little bit less troublesome and slutty. I think I'm probably going to keep Taylor that way too. I just wanted to warn you so you guys were completely confused when you saw Tay there all of a sudden. I was gonna wait until later to chance it, but I kept writing Taylor instead of Kate, so I just switched them now. I hope that's okay with everyone. I hope you enjoy.

**……….WWHT……….**

"Do we have to?" Brooke whined, sending her very best pout in Haley's direction. Peyton and Taylor held up their hands, letting her know that she was on her own with this one. If it were up to them, then they would be on Brooke's side.

"Yes," Haley told her, making sure not to look Brooke directly in her eyes. Haley shook her head and moved further away from Brooke in the booth. Brooke moaned and slid over with her, pushing herself into her side. "Brooke…"

"It's only been two days," Brooke tried to reason with her. She slipped her arm through Haley's and rested her chin on Haley's shoulder so she was looking directly at her face. She had to fight a smile from forming when she saw Haley take a big gulp.

"We need to go to school tomorrow," Haley repeated. She still couldn't believe that she hadn't been to school since Thursday, and even then she and Brooke had bailed early. "We skipped today and Friday, and you dragged me to the beach on Thursday. If we miss anymore then we'll get in trouble."

"No we won't," Brooke told her in a begging voice. "Come on, Hales. You've got to live a little."

"I live plenty," Haley told her in a confident voice. Brooke silently cursed herself for bringing this up. She knew that Haley already had issues with her predictability as it was, she didn't need her adding to it. "We're going."

"Okay, you win," Brooke gave up. She was never really going to get into an argument about this or anything; she just liked to see Haley boss her around. As cute and absolutely adore as nervous and unsure Haley was, demanding and bossy Haley was sexy.

"Thank you." Brooke smiled at her, leaning up to give her a quick peck on the cheek, not wanting all the other people in the restaurant to be uncomfortable. She straightened up and greeted the pair of amused smirks on the blonde's faces.

"What?"

"You are sooo whipped," Peyton told her with a laugh, shaking her head in mock disappointment. Taylor giggled from her position beside Peyton. "Who would have thought that I'd live to see the day when Haley 'I'm just a helpless little virgin' James would have Brooke 'fuck em and dump em' Davis wrapped around her finger."

"I'm not whipped!" Brooke immediately protested, though she didn't really have a problem with it. She didn't care if Haley had her whipped; she just hated it that Peyton had something to tease her about.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

Haley and Taylor shared a look across the table and rolled their eyes, as the two old best friends continued to bicker. Haley thinking about how cute Brooke looked when she was acting like a baby, and Taylor thinking how hot Peyton looked when she was arguing, even when she was just playing around.

"Babe, could you passed the salt?" Haley suddenly asked, wanting to bring an end to this argument. Brooke reached across the table without giving it a second thought and moved to place it in front of Haley. The other three girls had to hide the smiles at her reaction. Brooke froze right before she put the shaker down, realizing her actions.

"I _am_ whipped."

"Told you," Peyton teased with a victorious grin. Taylor raised an eyebrow at her, and idea popping into her mind.

"Pey, pass the ketchup." Just like Brooke, Peyton didn't even give it a second thought, just grabbed the bottle and placed it in front of the other blonde. As she placed it on the table, Peyton closed her eyes and listened to the laughter around her.

"Shut up," she mumbled, slumping back into her seat and folding her arms across her chest. Brooke shook her head, not believing that she had been so stupid as to fall for it right after she had. "You're whipped too."

"At least I'm getting some though," she teased, flashing a toothy grin at the other cheerleader. This was working out perfectly; not only did she get to mess with Peyton, she got to bring up the Peyton/Taylor thing without making it obvious. Taylor almost choked on the Coke that she was drinking at her words, which earned Brooke a kick in the shin from Haley.

"We'll see about that," Haley hissed her, making sure that Taylor and Peyton didn't hear what she was saying. Brooke gave her a helpless look and shrugged her shoulders, secretly proud of herself. Peyton watched the three of them in confusion, not understanding what the big fuss was.

"So," she began, her eyes wandering over all of them. Taylor wouldn't meet her gaze, Haley was trying to act like nothing was wrong and Brooke was looking at her with a shit eating grin plastered on her face. "What's the plan for the rest of the night?"

"I think we should party," Haley suggested, completely forgetting about the awkwardness that was two seconds ago. She had to admit that the thought of Peyton and Taylor together didn't bother her, she thought it would be too perfect considering that they had kind of formed a little group over the past four days, but she wasn't going to let Brooke push feelings that obviously weren't there and ruin a friendship that could be very beneficial for both girls.

"I think you're partied out," Brooke told her, lovingly running a hand over Haley's hair, causing her girlfriend to close her eyes. "After what happened at Brad's party, I don't think I'll ever let you go to a party again."

"You don't own me," Haley replied in a playful tone. She knew that it was supposed to be bad when your significant other acted all possessive of you, but Haley found it both incredibly sweet and sexy. "I don't see your name on me anywhere."

"It would be if you had agreed to get those matching tattoos like I wanted to," Brooke argued back. Both Taylor and Peyton seemed to be thinking the exact same thing as they started sliding out of the booth at the same time. They didn't have the time to deal with Brooke/Haley flirting.

"We're going to pay the bill," Taylor informed them and without waiting for an answer, they headed over to the cash register where the cute waiter that had been getting off by watching Brooke and Haley the entire night was standing.

"About the tattoos," Haley began a bit nervously. Brooke raised an eyebrow.

"What about that?" Brooke asked, eyeing her in confusion. Was Haley about to say what she thought she was about to say? Brooke wanted to shake her head at her own stupidity for even thinking it. There was no way, was there?

"Well, uh," Haley tried, but soon failing. She knew that she was gonna have to tell her girlfriend eventually, she just didn't think that it would be this soon and in this place, they were a little bit in public. "You see, uh, after we had that talk, I thought about it some more and I kinda went and got it."

"You got 'I heart Brooke Davis' tattooed on your ass?" Brooke exclaimed at Haley's words. She had just been joking around at the time when she said that. Not about the actual sentiment, she was all for the tattoos, she just wasn't serious about literally branding her girlfriend. Haley laughed.

"Well, not that," she corrected. She had forgotten about that suggestion. After Brooke suggested that they get tattoos, they had been throwing out different suggestions as to what to get and that was Brooke's final answer.

"What did you get than?" Brooke was getting too excited. She couldn't believe that Haley had actually gotten a tattoo, one that was supposed to be a symbol of their relationship. She was starting to think that that old saying about great minds thinking alike was true.

"Here, I'll, uh, just show you," Haley suggested. Brooke nodded, watching as Haley turned around and pulled up the back of her shirt to show Brooke where the tattoo was on the small of her back. Brooke couldn't really see it completely so she reached over and pulled down the waist of her jeans slightly to get a better look.

"05/02/04," Brooke read out in a whisper. "February 5, 2004." A huge smile came to Brooke's face, a bigger one then she ever thought possible, as she realized what that was. Haley dropped her shirt and turned back around and gave Brooke a nervous look, not sure how she was gonna react. "The night in the Café."

"Yeah," she whispered back. "That night changed everything, you know? My life pretty much sucked before you walked in the door that night." Brooke's watery smile widened. "I mean, it wasn't exactly smooth sailing right after or anything but…"

"I love you, baby," Brooke interrupted her, leaning over and bringing Haley's lips into a slow, gentle and loving kiss, silently apologizing for everything that happened after that night. She slowly brought her hand up and rested it on Haley's cheek, rubbing small circles with the pad of her thumb as their tongues continued to dance.

"People can see us," Haley pointed out when they pulled apart for air, resting their foreheads together. Brooke laughed and shook her head.

"Let 'em stare," she decided in a flippant tone. There used to be a time where she couldn't even be seen with Haley without worrying about what people were thinking. Now she wouldn't have a problem groping her in front of the entire school when they thought they were in the gym to see the school play. "Besides, everyone in here knew we were together the moment we walking in this joint."

"And how would they know that?"

"Have you seen the way I look at you?" Haley giggled, realizing that she had a good point. That had been one of the things she was worried about when they were still trying to hide their relationship from their friends. They weren't exactly subtle when they were around each other, which was why they never really even pretended to just be friends when they were secretly seeing each other. "I want you bad, baby, and everyone knows it." Haley looked at her in the most loving way possible and gave her another kiss, this time she didn't care if people were watching them.

"I look at you that way too, right?" Haley questioned, wanting to make sure that Brooke knew she felt the same way about her. "People know that I love you? You know that I love you?"

"They know," Brooke assured her, thinking that it was impossible for people not to see how Haley felt by all the adorable things she did when they were around each other. Haley let out a sigh of relief. "Now, let's get out of here and meet the lovebirds outside." Haley rolled her eyes, deciding to let that one slid and grabbed Brooke's hand, pulling them out of the booth.

"I told you my plan would work," Haley bragged as they walked towards the door, ignoring some of the stares they were getting from the other people in the restaurant because they were holding hands. Brooke faked a gasp at her words.

"Your plan?" Brooke questioned, repeating her words as if they were absolutely impossible. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that I'm the one that suggested we start flirting so Pey and Tay would pay the bill."

"You just keep telling yourself that," Haley laughed, patting her hand twice and shaking her head, smirking to herself for driving her crazy. They continued to walk in silence until Brooke suddenly started hopping slightly in excitement; a small squeal escaping her lips.

"And don't think that I didn't notice that their names totally rhyme," she exclaimed in a voice that matched her actions perfectly. Haley grimaced at the high-pitched voice. "It's totally meant to be. I can see it now; Pey and Tay. How perfect is that?"

"My name rhymes too," Haley pointed out, hoping to put a damper on her girlfriend's excitement. They were starting to get really close to the other girls. They were just on the other side of the door. "Hay and Pey, or even worse Hay and Tay. Does that mean that I'm meant to be with them, too?"

"But no one calls you that," Brooke protested with a frustrated sigh. Why couldn't Haley just let her live in her delusional little world for a little bit? Was that too much too ask? Haley pushed the door open and her and Brooke stepped out into the nice cool air to meet their friends.

"Hey, Tay," Haley greeted in an extra sweet voice. She pulled away from Brooke and wrapped her arms around her sister's waist, snuggling into her side. Taylor laughed, wrapping her arms around her baby sister loosely and smiled down at her adoringly.

"What's up, Hay?" she replied, a bit confused, but not minding the attention at all. There was nothing she loved more than her baby sister, even if she didn't always so it. Haley smiled brightly and mouthed 'I told you so' to Brooke, who just narrowed her eyes at her.

"Whatever," Brooke mumbled, folding her arms over her chest. "Let's just head home, okay?" The other three nodded and they began walking towards the parking lot to where Taylor's car was. Taylor and Haley walked with an arm wrapped around each other's waist and Brooke grabbed Haley's free hand in her own.

"Come on, Pey Pey," Taylor started and Haley giggled as she ducked the hand that whipped out to smack her in the back of the head at the name. "Down be such a loner, join us, will ya?"

"You three are freaks," she commented, but linked her arm through Taylor's anyway. They knew that must look like completely idiots, but none of them cared, they were having a good time and that's all that mattered. Just when they were only a few cars away from Taylor's a small group of girls, only three, came around the corner.

"Taylor James!" one of them exclaimed when she saw them. "We thought that was your car." The two groups meet, Peyton, Taylor, Haley and Brooke not breaking their hold on each other. "What are you doing here?"

"Just grabbed diner," she answered with a smile. She had known these girls since forever, the four of them had been best friends since elementary school and always hung out together, but all of a sudden the prospect of hanging out with them didn't appeal to her. She would much rather hang out with her little sister and her friends. How weird was that.

"Haley-bub, is that you?" one of the girls asked, looking at Haley with wide eyes. Haley nodded her head and gave her smile. She would have waved, but both her hands were in use. "Damn, you got big! And aren't you just a little hottie?"

"She takes after big sister," Taylor replied, causing all the girls to roll their eyes at her. "Hales, do you remember Leanne, Sasha and Julia?"

"Are you kidding?" Haley asked as if it was the stupid question in the world. "You guys used to dress me up all the time when you'd have your little slumber parties and keep me up till all hours in the morning."

"Aw, you were so cute," Sasha gushed at the memories. "We would always stay over there cause we loved playing with you so much. You were always so much cooler than our little sisters."

"Totally," Julia agreed, smiling sweetly at Haley. Even though Brooke knew that nothing was going on and that the other girls weren't interested in Haley like that, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She tightened her hold on Haley's hand and the action didn't go unnoticed by Haley or Taylor, who decided that she should hurry the conversation up a bit.

"You guys remember Peyton from the other night, right?" Taylor asked, nodding towards the blonde on her left. She wasn't sure if her friends would remember her, since they had all been drinking a bit and she had only been there for a few seconds.

"You're the best friend, right?" Leanne asked, wanting to make sure that she knew who she was. She definitely recognized her, she could never forget someone with hair like that.

"Yeah, she came to tell me about Haley's accident," Taylor nodded. Peyton gave them a small wave and smile. "You guys know Haley, and this is her girlfriend Brooke."

"Whoa, girlfriend?" Julia questioned, completely threw by the word. The three of them had always thought of her as their baby sister too, so they were surprised that Taylor hadn't mentioned it. "As in _girlfriend_?"

"Yep," Brooke nodded, squeezing Haley's hand again, this time earning her a smile from the other girl. "For about a month now."

"Very cool," Sasha decided with an approving grin. She looked Brooke up and down, and a smile graced her lips. "Quite a catch there too, Hales. She's a hottie, you definitely know how to pick 'em."

"And this conversation just got weird," Taylor decided, patting Haley on the hip twice, signaling that they were about to head out. "So, have fun girls. I'll be sure to call you guys later."

"Sure thing, Tay," Julia nodded. "It was nice meeting you two." Peyton and Brooke nodded and smile politely at them. "And it was a pleasure seeing you all grow'd up, Haley-bub. You'll have to come with Tay next time we all hang out."

"Sure." Leanne winked at Haley before heading towards the restaurant, Sasha patted her on the head like she was a dog, and Julia pinched her cheeks adoringly. They all laughed at the expression on Haley's face before going their separate ways and heading off to where the night took them.

"Look at you," Peyton commented with a laugh as they headed towards the car that was just a few feet away. They unlocked the hold they had on each other and waited outside their doors for Taylor to unlock them. "Aren't you just everyone's baby?"

"Nah," Haley decided, opening the door of the backseat and getting in beside Brooke. "Just Brooke's." They locked eyes, ignoring the gagging noises that Peyton and Taylor were making from the front seat and meet in the middle for a small, but loving kiss.

**……….WWHT……….**

Okay, that's the end of chapter 28. That means that there's only 2 more chapters left. I hope you're looking forward to it. Oh, and I was wondering, do you guys have any suggestions about when I should make the sequel take place? It's not going to happen for a while, cause I'm going to do the prequel first, but it still would be nice to know so I can start thinking.

Please review to tell me what you guys thought.


	29. Back to Reality

_Author's Note:_ Hey. I'm here with an update, sooner than I thought. I hope you guys like it better than you seem to have liked the last chapter. It's pretty long and I hope you all like it. Oh, and there's a line ripped directly from Gilmore Girls, just thought I'd let you know that I'm not trying to steal anything here. Extra points if you can point it out. Please tell me what you think of this chapter, cause I worked extra hard on typing it all out. Enjoy.

**…WWHT…**

"I can't believe I forgot how much I hated school," Brooke mumbled as she stepped out of the backseat of Peyton's black car. Haley rolled her eyes as she passed her girlfriend her bag and got out as well. "And I can't believe I let you talk me into coming."

"There wasn't exactly a lot of talking going on," Peyton pointed out, slamming her door shut and joining her best friends on the curb. "If I remember correctly, you broke about two seconds into the conversation at dinner last night."

"Shut up, Blondie," Brooke snapped, not really mad at her friend, just upset about the day of school that lay ahead of her. "You're whipped too, remember, so just lay off."

"Someone's grouchy," Peyton laughed, eyeing the brunette that was glaring at her. She rolled her eyes at her friend and stuck her tongue out at her, knowing that she was safe because Haley was between them and Brooke wouldn't dare try to attack her now.

"Five seconds, Pey," Brooke warned. She really wasn't mad, she just didn't have the energy to deal with the blonde this early in the morning. They had stayed up until almost 3 in the morning watching old movies, and Brooke assumed that meant that Haley wasn't going to force her to go to school anymore. She thought wrong.

"You're such a morning person," Peyton teased. She saw the pleading look that Haley was sending her way and sighed. She slipped her messenger bag over her shoulder and took a step forward. "Good luck with her, Hales. You'll need it."

"Thanks, Peyton," Haley called out to her in a tight voice. She knew it had been a bad idea to stay up that late, but no one ever listened to her, especially when Taylor was there to mess things up even more. She was the boring James sister and Taylor was the fun one. That was the way it would always be.

"It's inhuman to be that perky this early in the morning," Brooke mumbled, burying her face in Haley's shoulder. Haley laughed at her behavior and brought her hand up to rest on Brooke's hair.

"Aw, poor Tigger," Haley laughed. "Come on, we still have to go to our lockers before class. I haven't touched a school book since Thursday."

"Gasp," Brooke teased, her grumpiness fading away as she flirted with Haley. She lifted her head up, took a hold of Haley's hand and they started walking towards the school. "I think that means that we're gonna have to think of a new nickname for you, you're not so much with the Tutor Girl anymore."

"I am so!" Haley protested, shocked that Brooke was accusing her of ignoring her studies, though she knew it was true. Two months ago, the though of not thinking about school would have terrified her, but now it kind of made her proud. She had better things to think about.

"Please," Brooke laughed, as they continued to watch. She could feel the eyes on them, but she didn't care. They could stare at them all they wanted; it wasn't going to bother her. She knew that Haley felt the same too, and that was all that matter. All the people they cared about knew and were supportive of them, so she was happy. She knew cared about their opinions before, she didn't care now. "When was the last time you tutored anybody?"

"Well, there was Thursday," Haley pointed out, vaguely remembering being in the Tutor Center to meet with someone. She frowned when she remembered what happened after that. Damn, Brooke was right.

"That was me, stupid," Brooke reminded her with a smirk. They finally made it to the main doors and entered the school, unconsciously going in the direction of their lockers. "Face it, you've been ignoring your Tutor Girl duties."

"Only cause I've been so busy with my Tutor Girlfriend duties," Haley shot back, knowing that would shut Brooke up immediately. She loved being able to do this. This was the first time that she and Brooke were able to just walk down the hall and totally be themselves, without having to worry about being caught.

"That is a good point," Brooke laughed at her play on the old nickname. She hadn't called Haley that in what felt like forever, in a way that wasn't being playful anyway. "Okay, I take back the comment. You are still Tutor Girl."

"That's what I thought," Haley laughed as they finally reached her locker. She unhooked her hand from Brooke's and started to dial in the combination. Brooke watched her, lazily leaning against the locker beside Haley's and wrapping an even lazier arm around her waist. Her eyes traveling back and fourth between her girlfriend and the picture of the two of them attached to the locker door.

"It's funny," Brooke commented as Haley pulled her books off the shelf. "Who would have thought that you'd be fighting to keep that nickname when you used to hate it when I called you that."

"I never hated it," Haley told her, glancing at her, surprised to find that they were so close together. It almost seemed that they couldn't stand to not be touching now a days, not that she was complaining, she just knew that it was getting frustrating for the both of them.

"Really?" Brooke questioned, sliding her off Haley's waist to stand up straight, seeing that Haley was almost finished at her locker. "I always thought it annoyed you."

"Not really." Haley shrugged her shoulders and closed the locker door, holding her hand out for Brooke to take again. They started down the hallway towards Brooke locker. "I always thought it was kinda cute that you cared enough to give me a nickname, as unoriginal as it was."

"It was not unoriginal!" Brooke protested, not believing that Haley was making fun of her precious nickname. That was one of the things that Brooke loved to do most, was give people nicknames, and know her girlfriend was bashing her skills? That was just harsh. Haley gave her a look. "Okay, what's a better nickname that you have?"

"Haley-bub."

"Who calls you that?" Brooke couldn't remember hearing that name once.

"Taylor," Haley told her with a goofy grin. "It's kind of a family thing. My grandma used to call me that all the time and my dad would use it sometimes, but Taylor mostly uses it."

"And what is so great about Haley-bub?" Brooke questioned, but not in a harsh or sarcastic way. She was always up to hearing more about Haley's family, even though she didn't like what she heard half the time. Her parents weren't the best ones on the planet, and most of her siblings, with the exception of Taylor, were pretty mean, but Brooke still wanted to know more about her girlfriend's past.

"I don't know," Haley shrugged, but Brooke could see the smile on her face. "It just makes me feel protected or something. I don't know, it's silly really, but it just reminds me of family, even though mine royally sucks. I just love when Taylor calls me that, it makes me feel special."

"That's not stupid," Brooke assured her, giving her hand a squeeze and smiling at her adoringly.

"It's like when you call me baby," Haley continued, smiling back at the other brunette. She had to fight the natural urge to kiss Brooke because she knew that even though they didn't care about what the kids thought, she wasn't that comfortable with it.

"Well, I'm glad I can make you feel special," Brooke told her, bumping hips with her as they turned the corner to go down the hallways Brooke's locker was in. "Cause you are special, baby."

"Like 'stop eating the paste' special?" Brooke laughed at her and shook her head, not being able to think of an answer to that.

"Like 'I love you' special," she corrected with a smirk. She tore her gaze away from Haley's beaming face to see how close they were to her locker, only to see Theresa, Bevin and a few other cheerleaders standing there. Brooke was suddenly wishing that Peyton hadn't ditched them either.

"Tigger," Haley warned, tightening her hold on Brooke's hand so she wouldn't try anything. She could just picture Brooke attacking Theresa in the middle of the hallway and the last thing she needed was for Brooke to get kicked out of school for fighting. "Be calm."

"I'm calm," Brooke told her through clenched teeth. She was obviously anything by calm. Just the sight of Theresa brought all those feelings back from the other night and that was the last thing she wanted to think about. She never wanted to have to think about Haley in the hospital ever again. It was honestly the scary thing she had ever seen. She would never forget how scared she was from the moment Lucas told them she was in the pool house alone with Theresa to when she finally got to see Haley. "I'm just going to rip her fucking head off."

"Please, Brooke, don't do this," Haley begged, bringing them to a halt and turning Brooke around to face her. Brooke didn't tear her gaze away from the cheerleaders at her locker until Haley took her face in her hands and physically turned her head around. "It's not worth getting in trouble for."

"She should be put in jail," Brooke whispered, the pain of that night coming back to her. "What she did to you, that's illegal. She viscously attacked you…"

"I know," Haley told her with a sad smile. "I can still feel the vibrations of the hard wood floor in my head." Brooke closed her eyes at her words, fighting the tears. She wasn't going to cry, she wasn't going to give Theresa that pleasure.

"This isn't funny, baby," Brooke whispered, not being able to take the thought of it all any longer. Haley nodded and stopped smiling, dropping her hands off Brooke's face and bringing their hands together again.

"I know it's hard," Haley started. "I want to beat her up just as much as you do, but I can control it. Do you think you can do that too?" Brooke shook her head and Haley laughed lightly. "Can you try for me?" Brooke nodded. "Okay, just ignore her and don't listen to anything she says."

"I'll try." Haley smiled at her efforts and squeezed her hand one more time before they started walking again. Haley looked everywhere but at the girls in front of them, while Brooke stared them down. Brooke was glad that they weren't in the way of her locker, so she didn't even have to ask them to move. She wanted as little interaction with them as possible, none would be preferable.

"Hi," Theresa greeted them in a low voice. If Brooke didn't know any better, she would think that Theresa was there to apologize. Brooke glanced at Theresa for split second, afraid of what she might do if she looked at her for longer, and had to smile at the bruises on Theresa's face. They weren't as bad as Haley's, but it meant something.

"What do you want, Theresa?" Brooke demanded, not looking at her as she opened her locker and began to take books out. She glanced at Haley to make sure she was okay, and when she saw her looking down at the ground, she figured she was fine, more than a little uncomfortable, but fine. "We don't have time for your hateful comments right now."

"I'm actually here to apologize," Theresa told her in a quiet voice, knowing that the reaction she received wasn't going to be welcoming. Brooke immediately stopped what she was doing, freezing in mid pull and Haley's head snapped up. They weren't expecting that.

"What?" Brooke questioned, dropping her books into her bag and turning towards the girls that she used to consider friends. She looked at Theresa and Bevin, trying to see if they were being serious or not, wanting to make sure that this wasn't just some trick they were playing. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm serious," Theresa stated, and Brooke couldn't help but believe her. Of all the years that Brooke knew her, she could count the number of times she was serious on one hand, and now was definitely one of them. "We want to - **_I _**want to apologize to you."

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to," Brooke told her, frowning on the inside when she realized that she sounded like a parent or a teacher. Theresa nodded slightly, telling her that she agreed and Brooke pulled Haley to stand beside her, keeping a firm hold on her hand. "I'm not the one you put in the hospital."

"Hospital?" Theresa choked out, not believing that she had actually hurt the girl that much. She really never wanted to hurt her, things just got out of control and she lost it, which she was known to do on occasions. She could see the bruises on Haley's face, they were worse than her's, and she felt sick to her stomach knowing that she cause them.

"You knocked me out pretty well," Haley answered, not too sure what she was supposed to say in this situation. Even if Theresa was there to apologize, she still wasn't comfortable around her at all. "I'm still a little dizzy."

"I am so sorry," Theresa told her, taking a step forward, which caused Haley to flinch, stopping the other girl in her tracks. "Sorry, I didn't mean … I wasn't going to…"

"Just say what you're gonna say and get gone," Brooke warned, running a calming hand over Haley's arm, hoping it will relax her. Theresa looked scared and nodded, biting her lip.

"I never wanted things to go down the way they did," Theresa began, making sure she was looking directly at Haley. "That wasn't my intention at all. I was just going in there to screw with you, which isn't much better, I know that now, but…" Theresa took a deep breath and glanced at Brooke, seeing that she was watching her closely.

"But?"

"Look," she finally got out. "What you said, about my feelings, you were right and I just couldn't accept that. I'm sorry that I attacked you the way I did and I'm sorry about the things that I said before that; inside. That was out of line, and I didn't mean it."

"That's okay," Haley told her, just wanting to get this over with. She was never comfortable in the company of cheerleaders, with the exception of Brooke and Peyton. Theresa shook her head before Brooke had a chance to say anything.

"Not it's not," she disagreed. "Saying the things I said to you, that's never okay. I'm really sorry, and I hope that one day you can forget everything that happened."

"Thanks," Haley whispered, surprised at just how sincere she seemed to be. She was also surprised that she admitted her feelings about Brooke right in front of her. The girls nodded and sent Brooke and Haley tight smiles before following Theresa down the hall.

"Hell has frozen over," Brooke mumbled before giving Haley a quick kiss on the lips. She knew that they shouldn't be doing that in the hallway, but she was just so happy that they wouldn't have to worry about another attack from Theresa. Haley smiled at her as she waited for her to finish so they could get to class.

**…WWHT…**

"Do you realize that this will be the first time that we eat together?" Brooke asked as they neared the Cafeteria. Both girls were starving and were so happy that it was lunch. Haley frowned at her words, just remembering what the date was.

"Actually," she began carefully, not wanting Brooke to get mad at her. Brooke stopped short and pulled her out of the crowd of students that were going that way as well. Once they were out of the way, Brooke gave Haley a look, telling her to explain herself right this moment. "It's Sister's Day."

"What?"

"Sister's Day," Haley repeated in a louder voice. Brooke gave her a WTF look and Haley sighed. "It's this thing that me and Tay made up a long time ago. It was originally just an excuse to get presents, but then it kinda evolved into a more serious thing…"

"And how does this effect our first lunch together?" Brooke found their little holiday to be quite cute, but she wouldn't admit that.

"Taylor always comes to pick me up and takes me out to lunch," Haley told her in a rush, a slight pout on her face. She felt bad about making Brooke come to school and then completely ditching her, but she looked forward to this day with Taylor every year.

"And I supposed that since it's Sister's Day, girlfriends are not allowed to come?"

"It's never been a problem before," Haley admitted with a smirk, finding it cute that Brooke was so upset about missing lunch with her. "But I'm pretty sure that it would violate some unwritten rule. Sorry."

"Okay," Brooke pouted. "I guess I could last an entire lunch time without you."

"You can chill with Pey," Haley suggested, finding it hard to resist the urge to bite the lip that she was sticking out. "Or your new bestest friend Theresa!"

"Funny," Brooke deadpanned, no trace of humor anywhere in her voice. Haley smirked at her. Brooke looked around quickly to see that there weren't many people around before she leaned over and kissed her girlfriend. "I love you, and you better be back soon."

"I will," Haley promised patting her waist. "Love you too." She gave her one more quick kiss, which earned her a slap on the ass, and she took off down the hall towards the main doors, hoping that Taylor didn't think she forgot about her. She pushed through the teenagers that were desperately trying to get to the cafeteria and finally made her way outside to find Taylor's car parked right in front, her sister sitting in the driver's seat.

"There you are, Haley-bub," Taylor exclaimed when she spotted her sister come through the doors. Haley smiled at the name, remembering her earlier conversation with Brooke and walked over to the car. "I was starting to think that you forgot what today was."

"Are you kidding?" Haley laughed, standing outside the driver's side window. "Forget my favorite sister on Sister's Day? I could never do that." Haley was surprised by just how happy Taylor was to hear that. She just couldn't help but have a little fun with the older girl.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Taylor asked, eyeing her. "Get your ass in the car." Haley tried not to smile.

"Actually," she began, bringing the books that were in her hands to cover her chest. "Um, I wanted to come out here and ask if you wouldn't mind if I skipped this year. I was kinda hoping to hang out with Brooke."

"Oh," was all Taylor could saw. Hiding a smile suddenly wasn't so hard when Haley saw how hurt and disappointed Taylor looked at her joke. The blonde quickly tried to hide it. "Well, yeah, I can understand that, you want to be with your girlfriend. That's cool, it's just a stupid made up holiday anyway…"

"Whoa, Tay," Haley quickly jumped in when she saw her sister was about to put the car in drive. "Hold up, I was just kidding." Taylor stopped her movements and looked at her sister, a guilty smile on her face. "It's not so funny anymore."

"So you're still coming?"

"Of course I am, silly," Haley told her, feeling bad that Taylor actually thought she was serious. Was she really neglected her sister that much? "I'm sorry about that, I just couldn't help…"

"Just get your cute ass in the car, Hay," Taylor laughed, not worried about it anymore. She was just glad that Haley was still coming with her. Haley laughed and nodded, quickly moving around the car and getting in the passenger side.

"You know," she joked once she was inside. "That's no way to talk to your little sister, especially not on Sister's Day." Taylor rolled her eyes and started to pull the car away from the curb, waiting impatiently for all the kids to get the hell out of her way.

"I said it was cute," Taylor defended, sending Haley a smile. "Which it is. I definitely see what Brookie sees in you. If I was into girls, which I am on very special occasions, I would totally get with you."

"That is so wrong on so many levels." Haley made a disgusted face and stuck out her tongue, causing Taylor to laugh at her and shake her head. "Please, for the sake of your baby sister's sanity, don't ever say anything like that again."

"You're no fun," Taylor pouted as she finally made it through all the scattered children and pulled out of the high school parking lot. "Where to m'lady?"

**…WWHT…**

"Hey, guys," Lucas greeted as he plopped down on the bench beside Peyton and across from Brooke. He wasn't sure if he was welcomed there, they didn't usually eat lunch together, but he figured that he needed to prove to Haley that he was totally cool with her and Brooke being together, even though he wasn't yet.

"Hey, Lukie," Peyton smiled back, taking a bite out of her sandwich. Just two seconds ago she had been sitting all alone, sending lower classmen dirty looks when they tried to sit down. Now, both Brooke and Lucas were sitting with her. Now she had to chew with her mouth closed. Stupid manners. Brooke nodded in his direction.

"What's up?" he asked rhetorically. Even thought they both knew he wasn't waiting for an answer, they both shrugged in response anyway. He clucked his tongue and looked around the table, just realizing that they were missing the third angel. "Hey, where's Hales?"

"Yeah, where is she?" Before Brooke had a chance to answer their questions, Tim and Nathan sauntered up to the table and sat down. Nathan still looked depressed over missing out on his chance with Haley and couldn't believe that he had let Tim drag him over to their table to sit with Brooke. That was last thing he needed.

"What do you want, Dim?" Brooke asked, annoyed by his presence and the drool that was already starting to descend down his chin as he stared at her.

"Hi, Brooke," he smiled at her dumbly, completely entranced by her beauty. She placed her drink down on the table and turned around to give him her full attention.

"Okay, I'm going to end this right now," she stated, placing her chin on her hands and locking eyes with him. The rest of the occupants of the table watched in amusement, knowing that Tim was about to get it. "I don't know what gave you the impression in the first place, but you never had a chance with me before, and now that I'm with Haley, you have absolutely no chance in hell of ever getting with me. I don't know if you're little brain can comprehended the fact that not only do I not find you attractive, I pretty much no longer find your entire gender attractive, so Back. Off."

"You're so hot when you're angry," was Tim's only response. Peyton, Nathan and Lucas laughed at his response and Brooke just rolled her eyes, not knowing why she even bothered in the first place. "By the way, I saw your little girlfriend getting in a car with an unidentified super hot blonde a few minutes ago, so you might want to reconsider your decision about some Tim Time."

"That was her big sister Taylor, you dumb ass," Brooke informed him, not bothering to look at the horny book, deciding instead to look at Peyton to see if she had any kind of reaction. She smiled when she saw Peyton's ears perk up at the mention of Taylor.

"Tay was here?" Peyton question, not quite sure why she was ever asking about it. She just found it weird that she was hanging out at the high school, that's all. And wondering why she didn't stop in to say hello a little bit, too.

"Yeah," Brooke smirked, raising an eyebrow at her. "It's Sister's Day or something. Some stupid thing that they made up a long time ago, and it's tradition that they go out for lunch. I didn't have the energy to argue."

"Cool."

"God, I hated Sister's Day," Lucas groaned, remember all those times that Haley had forced him to buy her a present because they were practically brother and sister. "It was all just some scam for the two of them to get presents."

"That's my kind of holiday," Peyton decided, liking the sound of Haley and Taylor's little creation. "Maybe I should make up my own holiday, too. Do you think I could get a day off school if I did?"

"Not a chance," Nathan spoke up, saying something for the first time since getting there. Everyone laughed at his commented and they continued to eat their lunches, idly chatting about nothing and ignoring Tim at the same time. As much fun as Brooke was having, just hanging out with her friends, all she could think about was how much she missed Haley.

…**WWHT…**

"So what did the Mrs. have to say about our little date?" Taylor asked as she stuffed her face with her favourite cheeseburger. They had decided against going to a fast food restaurant and going to a fancy one would take too long, so they settled on Karen's, even though they knew it would be busy, and they probably wouldn't be able to talk to the older woman at all. "Bet she was jealous, huh?"

"A little, I guess," Haley answered, twirling her straw around in her drink, her mind drifting every so often when Taylor would stop talking to eat some of her meal. "I think she thought I was bailing on her, but then I explained everything and she seemed cool about it."

"That's good," the blonde nodded, stealing a sip of Haley's Coke because her's was empty already. "I wouldn't want to have to handle any angry, jealous wives. I've had to deal with enough of those in my lifetime, thank you very much."

"She's not my wife," Haley protested for about the hundredth time. She was used to the teasing from her older sister, but she was starting to worry that Taylor would say something in front of Brooke one of these times and completely freak her out. "We haven't even slept together yet."

"Really?" Taylor asked, clearly surprised. By the way they acted together, she assumed that they had slept together a while ago, they just seemed so comfortable around each other, like they knew everything there was to know about the other one. "Are you telling me that she hasn't tried to get with that?"

"Oh, she's tried," Haley laughed lightly, remembering all the times that they had come so close, but one of them always pulled back at the last minute for some reason.

"Is she pressuring you?" Taylor asked immediately, knowing that her sister had intended on staying a virgin until marriage. Before Haley had a chance to get a word in edge wise, Taylor continued on her rant. "I can't believe that she would do something like that. I trusted her with you and she tries to force herself onto my baby sister? I'm gonna kill her…"

"Tay, no, no, that's not what I mean," Haley finally interrupted her, holding up her hands to get her to stop. She thought it was cute that Taylor just jumped into protective sister mode like that so fast; it showed that she cared. "You know that Brooke would never do something like that."

"Sorry," Taylor mumbled, calming herself down a bit. "I just got carried away there, you know? Just thinking about something like that happening to you…"

"You'd be the first one to know," Haley promised her. She didn't want to even think about something like that ever happening to her, but she knew that if it ever did, her big sister would be the first person she'd call. "Promise."

"Good," Taylor nodded, with a smile. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet," Haley sighed, deciding just to bite the bullet and get this over with. They were already on the topic, so she figured now was the perfect time. The blonde looked at her unsurely. "I need a favor."

"You know I'm here for you, baby," Taylor told her, leaning forward on the table to get closer to Haley, as if she was going to tell her some kind of secret. "Shoot."

"You know how it was our one month anniversary this weekend?" Taylor nodded, vaguely remembering her mentioning it. "Well, since that weekend kinda got shot to Hell due to some unfortunate events, namely Theresa and Mrs. Davis, I was thinking about doing something special for her this weekend."

"You're such a sweetie," Taylor gushed, hoping that one day she would have someone that was as thoughtful as her little sister. "What's my job?"

"I need you to keep her busy," Haley instructed her, going over her little plan in her head. A smile spread to her lips as she thought about what she was going to do, and it sent a shiver down her spine. "Just take her out for the day or something. I just need you to keep her away from the house so I can set up."

"Set what up?" Taylor asked, having a pretty good idea of where Haley was going with all of this. "What plan are you cooking up in that pretty little head of yours?" Haley looked at her sister, debating whether or not she should tell her the truth. Sighing and deciding that she might as well just say it, she glanced down at the table.

"I was kinda hoping…" she began, finding this harder than she thought it would be. "Ah, that we could, um, you know? For the first time." Taylor made another face, once similar to the one Haley made in the car earlier, back at school.

"Oh, Hay," she groaned, covering her eyes. "Did you really have to tell me that? I mean, you know I love you more than anything and I think you and Brooke are just adorable together, but you'll always be my little Haley-bub and I don't need to think about that kind of thing." Haley giggled.

"Sorry," she told her and Taylor waved it off, telling her that it was okay. "I'll never mention it again. But you'll help, right?"

"Anything for you, Haley-bub," Taylor told her with a smile. "It is Sister's Day after all. How could I not help you out?"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," Haley repeated over and over, the smile on her face getting even bigger as the excitement overtook her. "I'm going to love you forever."

"That's all I ask," she joked, sucking up that last of Haley's drink before dropping the empty cup on the table and glancing at her watch. "Look's like Sister's Day Lunch is coming to close for this year. I better get you back to school and to that girlfriend of yours before she comes looking for you."

"Okay." The girls gathered their things, threw their garbage into the trash can, waved goodbye to a smothered Karen and walked out of the Café, the ring on top of the door signaling that they had left the place.

"Oh, Hay," Taylor finally remembered to ask as they were walking back to her car. Haley looked at her, letting her know that she had her attention without saying anything. "When I'm distracting Brookie, can Peyton tag along too? Or does she have some other job."

"Uh, sure," Haley answered unsurely. Taylor smiled brightly at her and slipping into her car. Haley stood there for a moment, trying to talk herself out of believing Brooke's deluded fantasy of Taylor and Peyton getting together.

"Move it, Hay," Taylor brought her out of her dream world. "You're gonna be late." Haley sighed and got into her seat, knowing that she was going to end up telling Brooke about Taylor question, even thought she knew it would just motivate Brooke even more than she already was. Well, as long as she was focusing on Peyton and Taylor, then Haley would actually have a shot at pulling off this surprise.

She couldn't wait until the weekend.

**…WWHT…**

All done for now. Wow, that was a long one. I hope you guys liked it. Please tell me what you thought. Thanks. Just remember that next chapter is the ending. It'll be sad, but hopfully good.


	30. My Happy Ending

_Author's Note:_ OMG, it's me! Are you guys in shock right now, or what? Okay, I would usually apologize for the really long wait for the last chapter, but I'm hoping that the length of it makes up for it. Believe me when I tell you that I never meant for this chapter to be so long, but my fingers just kept writing away, and it ended up being 58 pages. Crazy, right? Anyway, it almost killed me to finish this and the proofreading was even worse, so you guys better enjoy it, and you better leave me some reviews, or I might just take my life for this incredible waste of time. Well, this is it. I hope you enjoy and are satisfied with the ending.

This chapter is dedicated to **Kristin **for being awesome and staying up late with me to make sure I got this done. And to **Jodi **for being incredibly patient and great through this whole thing. I hope you guys enjoy.

**…WWHT…**

Haley closed her eyes in frustration for a moment, hoping to collect herself. This was so not going the way she had hoped it would. Why couldn't she just calm herself down and take a deep breath? Why was she so stressed about this? Oh right, she was going to lose her virginity tonight to the woman she loved more than anything. And if that wasn't nerve racking enough, the women just happened to be Brooke Davis, the most beautiful and most popular girl in town. Okay, her hands are shaking again.

"James, stop it," she hissed at herself. She could do this, she could. She had been ready for a while now, so why was she freaking out so much now? Maybe it was because those other times, she knew deep down that Brooke would stop her before they went too far to come back. Tonight though, they wouldn't be stopping anything, she had a feeling Brooke would know that. Tonight was the night and Haley had never been more terrified in her entire life.

She wasn't terrified of the fact that she would no longer be a virgin. Truth was, she was getting sick of that title. And it wasn't even the fact that she was so completely inexperienced either. Sure, she'd never had sex, and she was well aware that it was more difficult that it appeared, especially in this situation, but she'd read things, seen things and she remembered the way Brooke reacted to her touch before. She didn't imagine that it took a very skillful person to please her. At least it didn't for Haley, as Brooke had told her that no one had ever made her feel that good so easily.

No, it wasn't the physical part that scared Haley; it was the emotional part that scared her. Yes, she trusted Brooke with all of her heart, but that didn't mean she should. With all the pain and heartbreak that Brooke had put her through over the last month when they had just been 'fooling around' had taught her that sometimes people you think you can trust will hurt you, even if they don't mean to.

It made her feel sick to know that she was even capable of thinking Brooke would have been just using her for sex, like she was just some kind of conquest that she wanted to nail – deflower the Virgin Haley kinda thing – but she couldn't push the thought out of her head. She had a suspicion that their relationship might have been about that to Brooke at the beginning, but not now, there was no way. Over the past five weeks though, Brooke had surprised her more than once, so she'd have to trust her, even if in her head, she knew that she probably shouldn't.

Haley James was known for her tendency to over think things, she never did anything without a plan, and most of the time she would agree with people who said that, but not this time. Right now, she believed she was justified in over thinking this. Sex, at least for her and for her relationship with Brooke, was a huge deal. After everything that she had gone through with her parents and her other siblings, even Nathan, it was a huge risk for her to give her heart and body to Brooke so fully like that.

But after and over everything, she was willing to take that risk. If it meant that she and Brooke would be even closer, if they could have a better relationship where they were more connected to each other, where they could love each other to the most of their abilities, she would take that risk a million times over.

Because at the end of the day, she was at a point in her life where it was all of Brooke or having absolutely nothing at all. Much like Brooke's revelation in the pool house last week, being able to even consider taking the leap to give Brooke her entire self, to give her her soul, told Haley everything she needed to know about Brooke and her feelings for her.

Never, over the course of her 17-year-old life had she even considered trusting someone enough to give them her virginity, not even Lucas. She had always thought she wouldn't find someone she loved and trusted as much, if not more than she would love and trust her future husband, whoever he would have been. Then she found Brooke.

Brooke was everything to her. She was never happier than she was when she was with Brooke, she had never felt more special or more loved, and she had never loved anyone or anything as much as she loved Brooke. She never even could have imagined loving someone as much as she loved her, she didn't think it was possible. She always used to watch movies and hear them talk about love, and she always though it was ridiculous; that you could never love someone that much. Boy, was she wrong.

She loved her, that was never the question, but did Haley trust her? Did Haley trust Brooke to feel the same way? Did she trust Brooke with everything she had not to break her heart again, tomorrow or years from now? Did she trust that she and Brooke would always be in love, always be together, through the good times and the bad ones?

Yeah, she did.

"Wow…" Without a second thought, Haley grabbed her phone off her desk and punched in the ever so familiar numbers of the only person that could help her right now.

**…WWHT…**

"P. Sawyer!" Brooke yelled across the store. She knew her friend had gone over there a few minutes ago, but she didn't know what the hell she was doing. She leaned over in the chair she was sitting in as she waited for the boy to come back out with the right size of the shoes she wanted, and spotted Peyton looking at a pair of orange Converse shoes like she was a six year old at Christmas. "Damn it, Pey! You have like five pairs of those already!"

"Excuse me," she mumbled to the nice lady that was helping her, before putting her dream shoes back in their place. She sent the woman another smile before stalking back over to where Brooke was sitting, plopping herself down in the empty chair beside her and crossing her arms to show that she was angry with Brooke. Brooke rolled her eyes and let them wander around the store, looking for either the kid that was supposed to be getting her shoes or Taylor. After a few minutes of pouty silence, Brooke finally turned to Peyton.

"So, do you know why Taylor asked us to go shop…"

"For your information," Peyton promptly cut her off. "I only have three pairs of Converse shoes, and none of them are orange! Which is my favorite color!" It took Brooke a moment to process the rapid topic change, before she gave Peyton a WTF look.

"You're favorite color is black!" she shot back, raising an eyebrow, daring Peyton to deny it. She saw the blonde open her mouth to protest and continued. "When have you ever worn orange? Oh, that's right, never!"

"I have so worn orange!" Before Peyton had a chance to retell Brooke the exact day and time that she wore orange, her cell phone rang. She snarled at Brooke for good measure, before digging into her purse and retrieving it. She looked at the name that was flashing on the front in confusion, before flipping it open and pushing it her ear. "Hales?"

"Hey, Pey," Haley greeted, her voice both nervous and a little bit excited. "I know that you're out with Tay and Brookie, but I really need you're help." Brooke's ears had perked up at the mention of her girlfriend's name. Why would Haley be calling Peyton when she knew that they were together? Why wouldn't she want to talk to her?

"Help?" Peyton repeated, concern slipping into her voice, her childish argument with Brooke completely forgotten. Brooke immediately sat up in her seat at her words. Haley needed help? And she didn't call her? Was her phone off or something? "Hales, are you okay?"

"Oh, God," Haley sighed, cursing herself for not explaining. She could hear the concern and worry in her best friend's voice and she could practically hear Brooke demanding to talk to her. "No, no, I'm totally fine, don't give Brooke the phone."

"O-kay," she said in confusing, drawing out the word to make sure Haley knew that she didn't understand what the hell was going on. She rolled her eyes at Brooke's gestures to give her the phone. "One sec, Hales. You're girlfriend is being a bitch." She covered up the mouthpiece of the phone, but could hear Haley giggling in her ear on the other end. "What?"

"Is she okay?" Brooke asked, annoyed and impatient, not to mention worried about Haley. She had just gotten out of the hospital a week ago for a head injury and she still didn't really trust Theresa and Bevin. "What does she want? Why didn't she call me? Can I talk to her?"

"Yes, I don't know, I don't know, and no," Peyton answered, trying to remember the right order of her persistent questioning. Brooke's eyes widened at the last answer.

"What, why not?"

"Cause she said so," Peyton sing songed in a smug voice. She gingerly stood up, not giving Brooke another glance and walked away, uncovering the phone to talk to Haley again. Brooke heard her laugh as she glanced back over her shoulder to look at her with an amused grin. "Yeah, she's pissed." Peyton turned back around just in time to see spot the display of shoeboxes before she walked right into them, causing them all to tumble to the floor, bringing her with them. Brooke burst out laughing as the blonde quickly stood up like nothing had happened before quickly rushing out of the store while explaining what had just happened to Haley on the phone. Brooke shook her head and turned back in her seat, a huge smile on her face.

"Hey," Taylor greeted, coming out from the back, a shoebox in her hands. "The kid told me to bring these out to you." Brooke flashed her the smile and Taylor sat down in the seat Peyton had just been in. "Where'd Pey Pey go?"

"Your sister called," Brooke informed her, grabbing the box out of the blonde's hand and pulling out the shoes. She held them up at eye level to inspect them for a moment before bending down and slipping them on her feet. "She walked off."

"She called Pey?" Taylor asked, apparently finding it strange as well, that Haley would call Peyton instead of her or Brooke. Brooke glared at her, warning her not to bother asking, and she got the point. She glanced towards the entrance to see if she could spot Peyton, and noticed some of the staff trying to fix one of the displays. "What happened over there?" Brooke glanced at her quickly and laughed when she realized what she was asking about.

"Oh, your girlfriend knocked it over," Brooke informed her, widening her eyes the moment she realized she had just said that out loud. She was so used to joking around and bugging Haley about Peyton and Taylor, she didn't even stop to think about who she was talking to.

"God, Peyton is such a clumsy ass…" Taylor started to say but trailed off as Brooke's words finally registered. Her face flooded with confusion for a moment, before her eyes grew wide. "Wait, what? My what?"

"I, ah, I didn't mean…" Brooke tried, but stumbled over her words. The last thing she wanted was for Taylor to find out that she knew what was going on. It was obvious that she liked Peyton, and there was no doubt in Brooke's mind that she had feelings for her, but if Taylor knew that she was being so obvious, she might start acting all weird around Peyton, and Brooke didn't want that at all. But there was a small part of her that couldn't help get excited that Taylor automatically knew she was talking about Peyton when she said girlfriend. "I, umm…"

"All right, girlies," Peyton greeted as she came back into the store. Both girls broke the intense eye contact that had and turned back to look at Peyton, as she made a point of keeping away from the display she had knocked down. The staff cleaning it up gave her a dirty look when she didn't offer to help. When she reached them, Brooke risked a quick glance at Taylor to make sure she wasn't doing anything weird. "Sorry to end this day of shopping fun, but I must be off."

"Where are you going?" Brooke asked, her voice still a little nervous from the questioning from Taylor. Peyton glanced at her as she bent down and grabbed her purse off the floor where Taylor had put it when she sat down.

"Haley called with an SOS," she explained, hoping that Brooke would just leave it at that. Peyton had some kind of an idea what was going on, Taylor had told her when she invited her for the shopping day that Haley was at home, setting up a surprise for Brooke. She was pretty sure what the surprise was, but she wasn't certain. "Asked if I could go over there."

"You said she was okay," Brooke said, standing up. Peyton was starting to worry her again. "She's okay, right?"

"She's fine, it's something else," Peyton told her, eyeing Taylor for some help. She was the mastermind behind this whole thing; she needed to think of something to tell Brooke that wouldn't give anything away. "There's no need to worry, okay?"

"If you say so," she trailed off, not really knowing if she was okay or not. Peyton rolled her eyes and was starting to think that she should have just lied about the whole thing, saying her dad had called when she was on the phone with Haley or something. She should have known that Brooke was going to be suspicious. "But you're sure she's okay?"

"I'm sure, I promise," Peyton repeated, starting to feel less annoyed with her best friend. Brooke was just concerned about Haley, that was all. She would have been too if Haley hadn't repeatedly told her that she was okay, that she just needed help with something else. "I gotta go, though. I'll see you guys later, okay?" Brooke nodded, not sure what else to say.

"Sure thing, Blondie," Taylor answered, sending her a look to let her know that she was doing well. She didn't have to be a genius to know what Haley's problem was, and she was glad that her sister hadn't called her. She loved Haley more than anything, but the last thing she wanted to do was talk her baby sister through sex with her girlfriend. She glanced at Brooke, who wouldn't meet her gaze. "Tell her to call me after."

"I will," Peyton nodded, knowing what she was getting at. "Later." With one last wave and smile, she was gone, leaving Brooke and Taylor alone again. They stared after her for a moment, both willing her to come back, but for very different reasons. They sat in silence for a couple of moments, while Brooke slipped the shoes off and threw them back in the box. She loved them, but she'd come back for them, she didn't want to stay in this store long enough to pay for them. She didn't want to face Taylor just yet.

"Brooke, about what you said…" Brooke immediately stood up, placing the box on a random shelf and grabbed her purse.

"Okay, time for a new store," she announced, grabbing the blonde's hand and yanking her out of the chair. Taylor looked at her in confusion as she was pulling towards the exit. "There's nothing here I like."

"You were practically having an organism over those shoes," Taylor reminded her, pointing to the box she had left behind. "For a second, I thought you were gonna dump my sister and marry them."

"They're ugly," she threw back, her heart breaking at the words, but she wanted to get out of the store as soon as possible. "And I'd never break up with Haley, let alone for shoes." Even in her hurried state, she'd never let a claim like that slide without shooting it down. Her dumping Haley for any reason? Don't think so. "Come on, we have a whole mall waiting for us."

Taylor sighed, but let herself be dragged along. She knew that Brooke was going to try to pretend that she didn't say what she did, but there was no way Taylor could possibly forget it. Did Brooke know she liked Peyton? Was she really that obvious? Oh, God, did Haley know, too? Peyton? This was going to be a long day.

**…WWHT…**

It was a well known fact to the people in Tree Hill that you never knock on Peyton Sawyer's front door. If you were her friend, you just walked in because you knew that she was blaring some kind of music. If you were someone selling something, you wouldn't get an answer because she would know it's nobody she'd want to talk to. And so, Peyton didn't feel it was necessary to knock on other people's doors. Especially when they were expecting her.

So, as soon as Peyton jumped out of her old black car, thankful that she had meet Brooke and Taylor at the mall so she had her own car, she let herself into the James home, and made her way up to her best friend's room. She honestly didn't know what to expect, but she was hoping that Haley wasn't going to be asking her for some tips about sex or something extremely scarring like that.

"Hales?" she called out before she got to the door, so Haley wouldn't be too surprised when she opened the door. She knocked lightly and pushed it open, entering the room. It wasn't as extremely unique as her's is, but it was definitely not the same as an average teenage girl's room their age is. Take Brooke's pink and leopard print bedroom for example.

When she entered, she found Haley standing in the middle of the room, playing with her hands nervously and practically biting through her bottom lip to the point of blood spill, and she was shifting foot to foot. The last time Peyton had seen Haley look even close to this nervous was right before her presentation in English a couple of weeks ago, and that did not end well at all, as she remembered with a frown.

"Hey, Hales," she greeted, waving her hand to get the other girl's attention. She shut the door behind her and moved further inside. "Whatcha doing?"

"Thinking," Haley answered quickly, finally realizing that she was no longer alone. She didn't know what happened, one minute she had been positive that she was ready to take this step and she still was, but after she hung up with Peyton, she started to freak out about how to go about all of this. Okay, and now that she had worked through the really hard emotional fears about sex, now she was starting to get scared about the physical side of it. "Okay, no. I'm freaking out, Pey!"

"What are you freaking out about?" Peyton asked slowly, a little freaked out herself by the squeakiness of Haley's extra high voice. She eyed her strangely as she stood in front of her, waiting for her to stop fiddling around nervously with her hands. When she didn't stop for a few moments or answer Peyton's question, the blonde reached out and grabbed a hold of her upper arms to keep her in place. "Haley!"

"What?" Haley asked, bringing her eyes to meet Peyton's. She saw the slight annoyed look there and grinned sheepishly. "Oh, sorry. What did you say?"

"I asked what you were freaking out about?"

"Everything!" Haley erupted, pulling out of Peyton's grasp so she could pace the length of her room, something she usually did when she was anxious. Peyton threw her head back and let out a silent growl and plopped herself down on the end of Haley's bed so she could watch her walk back and forth. How the hell did she get roped into all of this? Oh yeah, Taylor just had to invite her to go shopping. "You know what's going on tonight, right? You know why I got Tay to distract Brooke?"

"Kinda," Peyton replied with a sigh. Looks like she was getting dragged into this. She loved Haley to death and all, but she did not want to be having this conversation with her. "I mean, Tay told me that you had something special planned and I just figured …"

"I'm gonna have sex tonight!" Haley exclaimed, stopping in mid pace to look at the blonde with wide eyes. "Me, Peyton. Haley Elise James is going to have sex tonight! Before she's married! Do you have any idea how big of a deal that is?"

"If you're so freaked out about it then…"

"Oh, no, it's too late now." Haley shook her head as soon as the words started to leave Peyton's mouth. "The wheels are already set in motion, Peyton. You can't stop a speeding bus!"

"All you have to do is press the brakes," she pointed out. She looked at the expression of sheer fear and horror on Haley's face at the situation and she couldn't help but start to laugh. Soon, her giggles escalated into full on hysterics.

"That's fine," Haley mumbled, starting to pace again. "Just laugh it up, Blondie, I don't mind. It's just my heart and entire mental stability that's on the line here, no need to take it seriously or anything."

"I'm sorry," Peyton told her immediately, but the bursts of giggles that still escaped showed just how sorry she wasn't. "It's just, you look like you're about to have a mental breakdown any second now. I mean, it's just sex."

"Not to me it isn't," Haley snapped. She hated when people said that; 'just' sex. It made her sound like she was a prude or something, and she didn't think that waiting until you were married, or at least until you were in love with someone to have sex with them made her a prude. It just didn't make her a slut, not that she was calling Peyton, or Brooke or her sister a slut. Well, Tay had her moments, and she'd tell her that to her face, too.

"I know," Peyton told her, sobering up completely at the genuine defensive tone in Haley's voice. She didn't mean to offend her values or beliefs in any way at her comment. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Haley mumbled, her eyes searching the room. She didn't know why she was having such a hard time talking to Peyton about this. She called her over for that exact reason, but now that she was here, she was afraid that her fears would make her sound stupid, especially at the blonde's reaction so far to the situation. "I really don't know what to do, Pey."

"Tell me exactly what you're afraid of." Peyton slid over on the bed and patted the spot beside her, signaling for Haley to sit down beside her. With a sigh and an eye roll for good measure, Haley did what she was told. "Dr. Sawyer is here, tell me your problems, child."

"I love Brooke," Haley began, ignoring the stupid impression that Peyton had just tried, and failed horribly, at doing. "And you know that." Peyton nodded, but didn't say anything. "And I've been ready to do this for a while now, and I've told her that. Hell, we were pretty close to doing it in her room last weekend."

"Ew, when we were downstairs waiting for you?" Peyton made face at the new information, not liking the visual at all. She didn't mind when they kissed or cuddled in front of her, she even thought it was cute, but she really didn't want to be thinking about her two best friends getting it on. No, thank you.

"Yeah," Haley said, a slight smile coming to her face at the grossed out look on Peyton's face. "Hey, we had just made up, give us a little credit." Peyton nodded and smiled at her, letting her know that she wasn't disgusted or anything, just didn't want to think about it. Suddenly, her face fell and her eyes widened as a thought popped into her head.

"Oh my God," she exclaimed, making fake throwing up actions. "I came up like five minutes later. Ew, I could have walked in on you two doing it!"

"That would have made my first time memorable," Haley laughed. Maybe she had called the right person. No one could get her laughing quicker than Peyton, especially when she was uncomfortable with something. They shared a laugh, though Peyton's was a little uneasy, before Haley let out a frustrated sigh and plopped down in the chair in front of her computer. "Why is this so hard?"

"Because you're in love," Peyton answered simply, a sweet smile on her face as she thought about just how in love Haley and Brooke were. Haley stared at Peyton with a raised eyebrow.

"If I'm in love, shouldn't that make this easier?" she questioned, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees so she was eye level with the blonde. "I shouldn't have all these fears, and all these doubts about what's gonna happened tonight, or tomorrow. I should be able to trust Brooke with everything, shouldn't I?"

"Not at all," Peyton disagreed with a laugh, shaking her head. "Haley, if you weren't in love, you wouldn't even be thinking about these things. You know what I was thinking about when I lost my virginity to Nathan?"

"What?" Haley was afraid to ask. Just thinking about Nathan and Peyton together made her sick to her stomach. Her best friend deserved so much better. Not that Nathan wasn't a sweetie now, but back then, he was anything but.

"What size condoms he uses." Haley stared blankly at Peyton, trying to figure out what exactly her point was.

"Peyton!" she exclaimed, leaning against her chair and throwing her head back. "Brooke doesn't need condoms!" Peyton growled and rolled her eyes.

"Haley, that is not my point," she corrected, getting frustrated already. Why did Haley always suddenly turn stupid when she was nervous? "Haley, look at me." She waited until Haley brought her head back down before she continued. "What you're going through, that's completely normal, okay? You're giving Brooke everything that you have left. You're really putting yourself out there for the first time, and to a girl that, God love her, has never had a boyfriend. It's completely understandable that you would be nervous, and second guessing yourself."

"Really?" Haley questioned, her voice hopeful. "It doesn't make me a terrible girlfriend that I don't know if I can trust my girlfriend enough to sleep with her?" Peyton laughed at the genuine doubt in her voice.

"Of course not, sweetie," Peyton promised her. "It's good to have doubts, that means that you have to think about it, and in the end, that usually leads you to the right decision. I wish I had thought it through."

"With Nathan?" Haley asked, nonchalantly.

"No," Peyton corrected, surprising Haley. The brunette's head shot up at her words, her eyes wide. "With Jake." Haley opened her mouth to say something, but when no words came out, she quickly shut it again. "Yeah, I kinda regret that."

"But, I…I thought… huh?" Haley stuttered, trying to figure out what the hell Peyton was talking about. She regretted sleeping with Jake? But they were in love. Just like she and Brooke were. "You regret sleeping with Jake?" Peyton nodded. "But you guys are so in love."

"Nah," Peyton waved off, shaking her head at the words. "I'm more in love with Jenny, or the idea of Jake and Jenny than I am with Jake. I guess you could say that I love him, but I don't think I could ever be _in_ love with him. He's a great guy, you know, and we click, but there's just no… I don't know, something's just missing. It's been missing since the beginning."

"Wow," Haley breathed, her face a picture of pure shock. "I had no idea. You guys always looked so happy."

"No, we were happy," Peyton quickly reassured her, not wanting her to think that she was in a dead end relationship or anything. "We are happy. It's just; I could have so much more. If I spent the rest of my life with Jake, I'd be okay with that. He's a great guy, and I love Jenny to death, but there's just no spark, I guess."

"Really?" Peyton nodded. "That's crazy. Did you always know?"

"I think I did," Peyton answered, unsurely. She had thought about that a lot since she realized that her and Jake weren't working out, but she still hadn't come up with an answer. "I don't think that I was ever in love with him. I like to think that on some level, I was just kidding myself. But I know for sure when I knew that we would never work."

"When?"

"The first time I saw you and Brooke together," Peyton answered with a smile on her face. Haley blushed, smiling slightly as she bowed her head. "Hell, if I'm being honest with myself, I knew when Brooke told me about you guys. Just the way she talked about you, the look on her face when she did, I could tell that she was in love. I could never sound or look like that when I talked about Jake."

"Pey, that doesn't mean you aren't in love with Jake," Haley tried to convince her. She didn't know why she was fighting so hard against the thought. Maybe it was because she always saw them as the perfect couple, and if Peyton and Jake weren't in love, where the hell did that leave her and Brooke?

"And then I saw you two together," Peyton continued, knowing that ending her relationship with Jake over that conversation with Brooke would be crazy. "All week long, I've been watching the two of you, and it's so beautiful."

"But you and Jake are so good together," Haley continued to fight; refusing to believe what Peyton was trying to tell her. "You guys are like the perfect couple."

"Key word being like," Peyton pointed out with a soft smile. "It's okay, Hales. Me and Jake aren't meant to be together, I've excepted it. I knew it wouldn't last from the beginning, but I'm always willing to be proved wrong, you know?"

"Yeah," Haley nodded, sadly. "That happened with me and Brooke. I was sure from the beginning that our relationship was going to be doomed from the moment she kissed me in the café, but she proved me wrong."

"She does that a lot," Peyton laughed, knowing how her best friend was capable of surprising people. "And just so you know, me and Jake aren't the perfect couple, that would be you and Brookie."

"You really think so?" Haley asked. She thought that was really sweet of Peyton to say, but at the same time, she didn't like the pressure. She hated to be thought of as the relationship that other people wanted. She remembered the way she looked at Peyton and Jake together back when her and Brooke were having their drama, wishing they could have a relationship like that. Haley didn't want that kind of pressure on her shoulders. But it looked like it was too late.

"I do." They shared a smile and soon silence fell over them for a moment. Peyton's eyes wondered around the room, as she bit her tongue, fighting over whether she should say what she's been wanting to say for so long. Haley just spilt her heart out to her, maybe she could do that same. Well, one of her secrets was already out now, why not just getting it all over with. "Do you want to know the other reason I knew that me and Jake weren't right for each other?"

"Sure," Haley answered before she met Peyton's gaze. When she saw the look in the blonde's eyes, she knew that this was big. Haley's heart skipped a beat as she ran through the different possibilities in her head. Was Peyton about to saw the words that would add another reason why this was going to be the best night of Brooke's life?

"I kinda like someone else."

**…WWHT…**

"I kinda like this," Brooke admitted as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Great, so can we go now?" Taylor asked from the other side of the changing room door. She had shopping bags resting all around her, all of which were Brooke's because she was broker than a joke, and wasn't about to waste her hard earned money, okay her money, on some ugly trendy sweater than was way over priced. That was what Brooke's closet was for.

"You're worse than your sister, you know that?" Brooke asked, slipping out of the skimpy lingerie she had been trying on and moving to grab her pants. She heard Taylor snort on the other side. "She can't go shopping with me. The first time I dragged her to the mall, she was almost in tears by the end of the day."

"Well, us James' aren't exactly known for our patience," the older girl reminded her.

"That's the understatement of the century," Brooke laughed, pulling her shirt over her head and grabbing the discarded lingerie before opening the door to see Taylor. The blonde looked up at her with glazed eyes, making it visible just how much this trip to the mall was taking out of her. "Are you ready now, Mrs. Cranky Pants?"

"Yes!" Taylor quickly exclaimed, swiftly grabbing all the bags around her in both her hands and standing up without dropping a thing. "I've been ready. I was born ready."

"Got it," Brooke laughed, sticking her tongue out at the older girl before moving back over to the rack. Taylor spotted the material between Brooke's fingers and noticed that she was about to put it back.

"You're not getting that?" She wanted to be slick about it, not wanting Brooke to think that she'd have any reason to wear it, even though Taylor knew that she did. Brooke looked at the material in her hands and thought about it. If she got it, that would just make her look like she was expecting Haley to jump into bed with her, which she wasn't. She was willing to take it slow, just like she'd told Haley over and over. She meant every word of it.

"Nah," Brooke shrugged, moving to put it on the rack. She looked hot in it, there was no denying that, and she knew that if Haley ever saw her in it, she would pop a gazette, but that was for another day, she supposed. "Maybe some other time."

"I did not just sit in this store for half an hour while you tried on five different sets of lingerie for you to not buy anything!" Brooke looked at her with wide eyes, trying to figure out what the hell Taylor was talking about. She wasn't angry two seconds ago, and she didn't freak out when she left any of the other stores empty handed. "Now get your ass over to the counter and pay for that, so I can get some damn lunch because I'm starving!"

Without another word or glance, Taylor stormed out of the store, all billion bags in her hands, and went straight in the direction of the food court. Brooke stood in the middle of the store for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. Blinking a couple of times to clear her head, Brooke made her way over to the counter and did as she was told.

"Wow," the lady commented with a smile when she saw Brooke's purchase. She found the price tag and scanned it through. "Big date tonight?"

"I think so," Brooke answered, not too sure about that herself. All the signs were pointing to something special; Taylor mysteriously calling her up and inviting her to a day of shopping, Peyton getting an emergency phone call from a freaked out Haley, and Taylor making her buy lingerie. A bright smile came to her face. "I hope so."

"Been together long?" She was just making polite conversation, Brooke was sure, but that didn't mean she was going to pass up the chance to gush about her sweetie. She pretty much used any chance she could to brag about her Haley.

"A month last weekend," Brooke answered quickly. She couldn't help the wide smile that came to her face at the words. She had never been with anyone for longer than two days, and given the way things had started off with Haley, she thought that a month was a pretty amazing feat. They had talked about everything that had happened between the night in the café and the night of the dance, and decided that they were going to count that as them being a couple. Saying that they didn't act like a couple before would be putting it nicely, but it helped them get to where they were today.

"And tonight's the big night?" The lady was about to tell Brooke the total, but she had already seen in on the till and was already starting to pull out her wallet. Brooke looked up at her with a smile and crossed her fingers. Suddenly, this didn't feel right, she felt like she was in the locker room telling her buddies that she was getting lucky tonight. That's not what her and Haley were about at all. "I'm assuming he's a hottie?" The woman handed Brooke back her change and her bag with her purchase inside.

"She's gorgeous." Sending the speechless woman an extra bright smile, she grabbed her bag and practically skipped out of the store to find Taylor. She spotted her at one of the tables, both of their meals already bought and opened. "Why Taylor James, are my eyes deceiving me, or did you actually just buy me lunch?"

"It's payback," she answered, her mouth full of hamburger already. She wasn't one to wait for people out of the politeness or courtesy. She glanced up at Brooke before taking another large bit. "There's poison in it. Now sit down and eat your damn food."

"How can I refuse that sparkling sales pitch?" Brooke teased. She tossed the bag she was holding into the ever-growing pile of bags and plopped down in the hard metal chair. When Taylor's only reply was noisy chewing, Brooke rolled her eyes and decided that she should just follow the blonde's lead and eat her food.

After about five minutes of listening to each other chew, Taylor finally decided that it was now or never. It was the perfect time to question Brooke about her earlier comment. There was nowhere for her to run, and she had all of the things that she bought today, so she doubted that Brooke would take off.

"Hey, Brooke?" The brunette's head snapped up at her name and nodded her head, signaling that she was listening because her mouth was full. "Don't freak out or anything, but I was just kinda wondering about what you said before?" Brooke felt her heart drop as she rapidly chewed her fries so she could say something to Taylor.

"Before?" was the only thing that she ended up saying after all of that. Taylor had to fight the urge not to smack her. She knew that Brooke knew exactly what the hell she was talking about.

"About Peyton being my girlfriend," Taylor elaborated, letting Brooke know that she wasn't going to be fooled by whatever lame excuse that she was sure Brooke had all ready to use.

"It was nothing really, I just…" Brooke started to deny, but trailed off when she say the look in Taylor's eyes. All right, this wasn't going to work. It looked like Brooke was just going to have to try the truth for once. "Okay, you want the truth?" Taylor nodded. "I think that you and Peyton secretly have the hots for each other, but both of you are too chicken shit to do anything about it. And Haley and me have known for over a week that you want Peyton in the pants, and I've been trying to think up a plan to get the two of you to admit your feelings because I think it would be too perfect if you two got together. But Haley doesn't see it, she keeps telling me to stop trying to force feelings that aren't there. But they are there; because I see the way you look at Peyton. It's the same way I used to look at Haley. You want her, but you think you can't have her. But you can have her, Tay, because Peyton looks at you the exact same way. And I just wish that you would pull your head out of your ass and see it too, because trust me, you have the chance at something better than you could ever imagine possible. And if you don't get off your fat ass and tell her how you feel, it's going to be too late. And I would hate to see that happen to two people I really care about."

Taylor sat in complete shock, letting Brooke's speech wash over her. She couldn't believe that Brooke had just said all of that in one breath. And she couldn't believe that Brooke would even have the nerve to say something like that to her. Especially when she knew that Haley would kick her ass if she found out about it. She couldn't deny the things that she said though. God help her, she actually thought Brooke made sense.

"When did you know?"

"Huh?" Brooke asked, mouth hung open giving Taylor a much unwanted view of her partly chewed food. She expected a bunch of questions or replies, denying everything that she had just said, but that she was not expecting.

"When did you know I liked Peyton?" Taylor repeated, finding it amusing that she was the one leaving Brooke in shock now.

"You're not going to deny it?" Brooke asked. She had this all planned out. She had a bunch of other inspirational speeches ready that she had been thinking about for a couple of days now. Taylor was just messing it all up.

"Nope," she answered with a shrug of her shoulders as if it were nothing. She was Taylor James; she wasn't new to things like this. Well, maybe actual relationships, and actual feelings, which were both things she wanted with Peyton. "You seem to have it all figured out, Sherlock. So, when did you know?"

"I don't know," Brooke shrugged, trying to wrap her head around how easy this was. After all, Tay was Haley's sister; so she was expecting a big long, drag out argument over this. "I pretty much just thought that you and Pey looked cute all curled up together after your movie night. I guess I just started watching you more closely after that, and definitely saw sparks."

"Makes sense," Taylor nodded. It felt good to finally talk about this with someone. She was getting so sick of keeping this to herself. She had never felt the need to hide things from other people, she always told them what she was thinking, much like Brooke did, but this was different. This had the potential to cause her more harm than anyone else.

"You should tell that to my doubtful girlfriend," Brooke mumbled. Taylor smirked at the love in Brooke's voice as she spoke about her girlfriend, even in a passing matter like that. She couldn't believe it, but Brooke Davis was probably the best person to ask about this sort of thing.

"So, oh wise one," Taylor teased, her lunch completely forgotten as she leaned forward on her elbows to get closer to Brooke. "What should I do?"

**…WWHT…**

"You should tell her!" Haley exclaimed. She couldn't believe her ears. Did Peyton really just confess her feelings for Taylor to her? She honestly didn't think that she'd live to see that day. Yes, fine, she'll admit that she agreed with Brooke, and she did see the lingering looks and smile shared between the two, but she wouldn't get her hopes up like Brooke did. Not in a million years, did she ever think anything would ever come from it because Peyton and Taylor were two of the most stubborn people she'd ever meet.

"Are you insane?" Peyton asked, her eyes wide. "Did you actually just suggest that I tell Taylor how I feel about her?" Haley nodded, giving her a supportive smile. "I really don't see that happening."

"Why not?"

"Because….because!" was the only answer Peyton could get out at the moment. There were just so many problems with what Haley was suggesting, she couldn't decide which one she wanted to go with first. "I have never felt this way before, okay? Not to mention that it's Taylor, who is totally a girl!"

"Yes, I know, Peyton," Haley laughed. "I have known Taylor for my entire life. She does happen to be my big sister, remember."

"Right," Peyton nodded absently, pushing herself off of Haley's bed. It was now her turn to pace. Haley sighed, and turned around so she could watch her best friend pace this time. This was actually a nice distraction; it was good to focus on someone else's problem for a change.

"Why are you fighting this so hard?" Haley couldn't help but ask. She didn't know why she was asking really, because she had pretty much been in Peyton's exact shoes a couple of weeks ago, and she was fighting it with all of her heart. But things turned out better than she ever could have imagined for her, and she knew that the same thing would happen to Peyton, if she just took the first step. "If you just told Tay how you feel about her, you could both be so unbelievably happy."

"That's easy for you to say," Peyton laughed sarcastically, shaking her head at Haley's ridiculous suggestion. "You have no idea how I'm feeling right now, okay? I'm so confused, and I'm always so scared that she'll find out that I like her, and it'll ruin everything. You have Brooke; you don't have to worry about that. So, just keep your ridiculous suggestions to yourself, please."

"Are you kidding me, Peyton?" Haley asked, looking at the girl in front of her in disbelief. Did Peyton actually believe any of the crap that she had just said? "I know _exactly_ how you feel."

"How could you possibly know?" Peyton sighed, looking at Haley with sad eyes. She loved Haley and Brooke, but she couldn't help but feel a little jealous when she watched them together. She wished more than anything that she could have a relationship like theirs with someone, and lately, that someone had turned into Taylor. "Haley, I've never seen two people so deliriously happy as you and Brooke are, even when you're not together, you both always have these silly ass grins on your faces. And it makes me want to strangle and hug you at the same time."

"You really don't know anything," Haley told her. She didn't know whether to thank her for the compliment on how good they were together, or be offended that she thinks everything was so easy for them. "You have no idea what I went through with Brooke to get to where we are today. Do you have any idea how used I felt for the first two weeks of our relationship? I can't count the number of times Taylor had to sleep in my bed with me because of something that happened with Brooke."

"Really?" Haley was right; Peyton had no idea about all of the drama that they had gone through over the last month. She had never heard anything about what happened the day after the night in the café. Now that she thought about it, she just assumed that it was love from the very beginning.

"You know how Brooke used to be, okay?" Haley hated to talk about this; she hated to even think about it. There was a reason that Peyton didn't know about all of this, and that's because neither Haley nor Brooke wanted to talk about it. "It took a lot longer than I would have liked for our relationship to change her."

"I can't believe this," Peyton whispered, completely shocked. Not only was this information hard to shallow, she was surprised that she hadn't noticed the extra tension between the two at the time, or the fact that Haley was upset at all.

"Yeah," Haley nodded. She could clearly see the genuine surprise on Peyton's face at the revelation. "After the thing at the café, me and Brooke were kinda doing the whole Friends With Benefits thing. Though, there weren't really as many benefits as there usually are in those kinds of situations, if you know what I mean. I really liked Brooke, even after just that one night, I saw a completely different side of her, and she just got to me, got under my skin in a way that no one else ever had. But she didn't feel the same. She was ashamed of what we did that night; she didn't want anyone to know that she had even spent the night alone with me, let alone came within an inch of having hot monkey sex in the middle of Karen's Café with me. I know that it was a really sad thing for me to do, and it went against everything that I had ever believed in, but I agreed to her terms of our 'relationship'. Even now, even though Brooke and I are so in love it's sicken, I have never forgotten just how used and how dirty and lonely I felt back then. I used to look at girls that let boys string them along and use them, and just think how sad and pathetic they were, and then Brooke came along and I became one of those girls. As sick as it makes me feel, I was so infatuated with her that I was willing to let her treat me like a toy, just for the five minutes of heaven I felt when her lips were on mine."

"I don't know what to say." Peyton whispered, moving backwards and sitting herself down in the chair at Haley's computer desk. She couldn't believe her ears. Haley and Brooke, the most perfect couple that she had ever seen, had started out like that? She couldn't believe it. She blinked a couple times at the floor beneath her, before letting her eyes travel up to meet Haley's, and she could see that all the pain from back then had resurfaced. "I mean, I look at the two of you, and you guys are just so in love you don't know what to do with yourselves. I guess I just assumed that you two were in love from day one."

"Nothing could be further from the truth," Haley laughed sadly. It hurt her more than anything to talk about everything that Brooke had put her through, but she knew that it was good for her. She couldn't talk about this with Brooke because Brooke just went into this incredibly scary self-hatred guilt trip, and it just killed Haley to see her like that. Haley took a deep breath to make sure that the tears didn't start to flow, and shook her head to rid her of all the depressing thoughts. She gazed at Peyton and gave her the best brave smile she could muster. "But that stuff doesn't matter now. What does matter, the only thing that matters is that we're together now. After all those nights that I seriously doubted it would ever happen, I got my happy ending, at least for now. But that happy ending didn't just happen, Pey, I had to make it happen. I took a risk, I put myself out there and in the end it paid off, it usually does."

Peyton leaned back in the chair and let Haley's words wash over her. She knew her best friend was right; after all, Haley was always right. They didn't call her Tutor Girl for nothing. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again and greeting Haley's smiling face. She thought about all of the things that Haley had just told her, about all the crap that Brooke had put her through, and how awful she had felt. But Haley still had a smile on her face because she didn't give up. Haley knew that she deserved to be happy, and instead of just sitting on her ass and complaining that she was unhappy, she took a risk and did something about it.

"Telling Brooke that I wanted something more than what we had, that was probably the single most scariest moment in my life, even worse than when I was alone with Theresa in the pool house," Haley continued, smiling softy at the blonde. She could tell that she was getting through to Peyton. Boy, Brooke was so going to owe her big for this. She could just image what Brooke was saying to Taylor right now, and she knew that they were talking about the same thing, because Brooke had been dying to get Taylor alone all week long. She doubted that Brooke was having as hard of a time convincing her sister about her feelings as she was with Peyton, though. "But you know what Peyton? I don't regret it at all. Even if things hadn't turned out as amazing as they did, I still wouldn't have regretted it."

"You really think I should tell Taylor that I like her?" Deep breath, Peyton. God, even thinking about telling the other blonde was enough to make her hyperventilate. Haley could tell how scared her friend was by her wide eyes and the way she was holding onto the chair arms for dear life.

"Yeah, I really do." Well, she is always right about everything, Peyton thought to herself, rethinking about her earlier words. Peyton took another deep breath and for some reason when she exhaled, Haley understood that she had just made her decision. "Look on the bright side, you have it easy."

"How do you figure?"

"At least you know Taylor feels the same, right?" Haley pointed out with a helpful smile, hoping it would calm the blonde's nerves. "So the only thing you really have to worry about is swallowing your pride…"

"Wait, what?" Peyton stuttered when Haley's words finally processed in her mind completely. Haley didn't just say that, did she? No, no, she couldn't have. That was just Peyton's mind working over time, trying to fool her into thinking that she actually had a chance with Taylor. "I know what?"

"That Tay has the hots for you too," Haley repeated as if it were the most obvious thing in the word. She saw the look on Peyton's face and laughed when she realized that Peyton had no idea what she was talking about. "Oh my God, please tell me that you knew Taylor's been lusting after you since you two met?" Peyton just continued to stare at her with wide, unbelieving eyes. "Unbelievable! It's so obvious. I mean, I love my sister to death, but she is about the least subtle person in the entire world. You, you were a little bit more slick about it, we weren't sure, well I wasn't sure, if you felt the same, but Brooke was ready to bet my life on it…"

"Brooke?" Oh, God, Brooke knew too? How could they all know about this while she was stressing herself out about it to the point of near mental breakdown? "She knows about this too?"

"Please, she's the one that has been trying everything to get the two of you guys together," Haley laughed. "Ever since we found you guys cuddled up on the couch downstairs, Brooke has been so adamant about getting you guys to hook up it's hilarious. I've literally had to shut her up before she just yelled at you two to make out already."

"That's great," Peyton muttered. "But back to the whole 'Taylor feels the same way' thing you said before."

"Oh, yeah," Haley smiled. "Tay's totally got the whole lusting act down to an art. It's quite cute really, when you think about all the love sick little boys she's left in her path in the past. Karma kinda sucks in that sense. But come on, Pey, even if she didn't feel the same, do you really think that Taylor would make a big deal out of it?"

"You're sure that Taylor feels the same way?" Peyton needed to be sure. It was one thing to put herself out there and have Taylor shoot her down when she was expecting it, but if she got her hopes up and the older girl said no, she didn't know what she would do. But she had to admit that Haley had a point, Taylor was probably the most relaxed person she'd ever meet when it came to sex. She really couldn't imagine her ending their newly formed friendship because she had more than friendly feelings for her. At least she hoped not.

"I'm positive," Haley assured her. "I know my big sister, and she's got it bad."

**…WWHT…**

"I totally do," Taylor argued, following Brooke wherever the hell she was going. She learned to stop asking, and just decided it would be better to take Brooke's lead. She also learned that there was no point in complaining because when Brooke's shopping, she doesn't hear a word you have to say.

"Oh, please, you do not love your other siblings," Brooke laughed at her. She glanced to both her sides, hoping to find the store she was looking for, but it didn't look like she was going to find what she was looking for. How could she have possibly forgotten where that bookstore was that Haley took her to? She really wanted to find that book that Haley wanted since it seemed like Haley was going to be giving her some kind of surprise tonight.

"They're my siblings," Taylor rationalized, jogging a little to catch up with the younger brunette, which was hard with all the bags she was still holding. "Of course I love them, I just don't like them at all." Brooke rolled her eyes and made a face at her as she glanced over her shoulder. "Well, except for Haley-bub, of course."

"Of course," Brooke nodded, not really paying that much attention. She took a few feet forward and she was at the end of the hall. She had no idea where it was. Letting out a huge sigh of disappointed, she slumped her shoulders and shuffled her feet over to the bench and flopped down on it. "Boo."

"What's wrong with you, you big baby?" Taylor asked in amusement as she stood in front of Brooke, her hands on her hips and looking down at her.

"I can't find the bookstore I was looking for," she informed her. Taylor let out a laugh at her words, assuming that she was joking. When Brooke glared at her, she immediately shut up. "Haley mentioned something about this book that she'd been wanting to buy for a while, and I was hoping I could pick it up for her, but I can't remember where the store is." She sighed and leaned against the back, indicating that she was going to be resting there for a while, so Taylor might as well sit her ass down, which she did. "I figured it would be down here because there's like no one here, so it just screams book store, you know?"

"Well, you know, Brookie," Taylor began in a teasing tone, talking to Brooke as if she were no older than five years old. "Believe it or not, people actually go to bookstores. Now those people may not be us, but my baby sister and your girlfriend is one of them, so I suggest that you learn at least the general vicinity of where one of them is."

"Shut up, Taylor," Brooke grumbled, slumping back into the bench. She couldn't believe how tired she was already. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this wiped out after a trip to the mall. And they weren't even half done yet. What the hell had happened to her? She used to be a shopping machine, now she can barely shop for an hour without needing a break. Dare she say that she was already bored? Oh, God, she was. This was worse than she had originally thought. "That damn Haley."

"Huh?" Taylor asked, turning back to look at her. She had been busy checking out a hot guy that was in the store in front of them. He was hot, and Taylor had to admit that if he had asked her two weeks ago, she probably wouldn't have hesitated to get in bed with him, but now, all she could think about was how ugly those pants were that he was wearing. That damn Peyton.

"I used to be the world shopping champion, okay?" Brooke began to explain, not caring that Taylor hadn't been paying attention to her before. "I used to drag Peyton all over this damn place from opening to closing, and now I can barely last three hours. That is just sad."

"And what does that have to do with Haley exactly?" Taylor questioned, watching the horrified look play on Brooke's face. That girl was just too amusing to her.

"She changed me," Brooke exclaimed. "I mean, I knew that she had changed me, she has since the night in the café, but being in a committed relationship is one thing, but this is sacred, okay? This is shopping."

"My God," Taylor gasped dramatically, knowing that Brooke was just being her usual drama queen self. Boy, Haley really had rubbed off on her in more ways than even Brooke knew. But she certainly wasn't going to tell her that. "I think Brooke Davis is evolving. I mean, if all of man kind can do it, I guess you can too. I hate to break it to you though, you're a couple million years late to board that trend train. Sorry."

"It's that damn sister of yours," Brooke informed her again, standing firm on the fact that after spending so much time with Haley, both doing different things with her that she had never done before, and talking about all the things that Haley liked, was the cause of her sudden boredom with shopping. "She's turned me into a little Tutor Girl, I swear."

"Could be a lot worse," Taylor pointed out. "You could have tainted my perfect little baby sister and turned her into a mini Tigger. And trust me when I say that the world could always use a few more Haley James', but one Brooke Davis is more than plenty, thank you very much."

"Like there could ever be another Brooke Davis," Brooke laughed in fake shock, pretending to be offended at the mere suggestion. The girls laughed at each other and fell into a comfortable silence. Brooke glanced at Taylor and she could tell that she was thinking about something, something that she really wanted to say, Brooke guessed. "I'm sensing you have something to say." Taylor snapped into attention, looking at her like she had been caught, which she guessed she had. Brooke smirked at her. "Out with it."

"It's stupid," Taylor confessed, giving Brooke a guilty look. "And I feel stupid even thinking it." Brooke raised an eyebrow, and waved her hands, signaling for her to tell her anyway. "But I can't not think about it."

"Just tell me, or ask me, or whatever."

"You have changed, right?" Taylor finally spit out. She felt bad even thinking that Brooke was capable of hurting her sister, but that was overridden by the worry she had over her sister. She was Haley's big sister, and it was her job to protect her, since their parents obviously didn't give a damn, and there was nothing she took more seriously that Haley's well being. "And I don't mean just that you get bored with shopping now, or anything like that. I mean, you're not the person you used to be, right? When Haley finally gives it up, you're not going to get bored with her, and just drop her, are you? Cause I gotten tell you, my Haley-bub is a strong girl, but she couldn't take that, and I couldn't take seeing that happen to her."

"I would never…" Brooke trailed off, trying to comprehend what Taylor was asking her. She couldn't even image ever doing that to someone again, she didn't know how she ever did, but there was certainly no possible way that she could ever do that to Haley, to her Haley. "How could you even ask me that, Tay?"

"I didn't want to," she defended, cursing herself. She knew she should have never brought this up. She didn't blame Brooke for being offended. Not once since she had met her, had Brooke ever given her any reason to doubt her commitment to their relationship. "But, you know, I kinda have to."

"Why, why would you have to ask me something ridiculous like that?"

"Forgive me for looking out for my little sister," Taylor snapped, letting out a huff of air. "You don't get it, okay, you're not a big sister, you couldn't get it. Haley never said anything to me, but I'm not as dense as she likes to think I am. I know how badly you used to treat her; I know that you're the reason I used to have to hold her every night because she would cry herself to sleep."

Brooke looked at Taylor in shock. She hated to think about what she used to be, how she used to treat Haley. She couldn't believe that she had been so rude to Haley, so disrespectful to probably the most respectable person in the world. She knew that she had hurt Haley back then, her girlfriend had told her that before, the one and only time that they ever talked about it, but she had no idea that she had hurt her that badly. She made her cry herself to sleep every night? Just the thought of that was enough to rip Brooke's still beating heart out of her chest.

"Do you have any idea how much I wanted to hunt you down and beat some sense into you?" Taylor asked. She could still remember all those times that she had had to stop herself from asking Haley who was responsible for making her feel so bad. She knew that someone was doing it to her, but she had no idea who, until she saw that picture hanging on Haley's mirror after everything had resolved itself. "When Hay was twelve and she had her first boyfriend, I don't even remember what his name was, but one day out of the blue, he just decided that Haley wasn't cool enough or pretty enough, and he dumped her. Yeah, they were just kids, they hadn't even kissed, but that really hurt Haley. I came home from school to find her crying in my room. My parents were home, our two sisters and brother where there, and I could hear her crying the moment I walked in the door, but none of them seemed to care enough to go up and see what she was so upset about. So I walked in and saw her curled up on my bed in tears. I just asked what his name was and where he lived and left. I came back with the little prick by the collar of his shirt and made him tell her that he was sorry for whatever the hell it was that he said to her."

"You're a good big sister, Tay," Brooke told her, smiling sadly at the story. She really wanted to know who the guy was now, because she really wanted to meet the person stupid enough to break up with someone as amazing as Haley. Not cool and pretty enough? What an idiot. "Haley's lucky to have you looking out for her."

"I don't want that to happen again," Taylor continued, as if she didn't hear what Brooke had said, even though she did. She was glad that someone thought so; Haley was pretty much the only thing she was proud of in her life. "I would do anything to keep that from happening again, even if it means offending you. Haley-bub has been the only person I could ever count on my whole life. She means everything to me and I take a lot of pride in being the big sister she deserves because she's always been the perfect little sister to me."

"I get that," Brooke assured her. She turned her body around and pulled her knee up underneath her so she was fully facing Taylor. She had never seen the blonde so open about her feelings before. She always knew that Haley and Taylor were close, but she had no idea that they were all each other had growing up. Now she felt really bad that she had been so offended about Taylor's worries. She was just looking out for Haley and that was something that Brooke really did appreciate. "But you have nothing to worry about, I promise. I was stupid then, and I have never been more ashamed than I was. Even then, when I was doing that shit to her, for the first time, I saw what a horrible person I was. I would see her face when I walked away, I could see what I was doing to her, and it killed me, but I was too much of a coward to admit to myself that I wanted to be with her." She glanced down, blinking rapidly to hold back the tear that were threatening to fall at the thought of how broken and ashamed she used to make Haley feel. "It was fun at first, for both of us, but then it started to become less fun when feelings started being toyed with, but neither of us could stop. We were too far into each other, and it got really bad there for a little bit. She finally called me on my shit, she told me that she either wanted all of me or none, and when she threatened to end it, something inside me just broke." She looked up and saw the interested look on Taylor's face. Brooke shook her head, running a shaking hand through her hair. "Look, I'm not that person anymore, okay? Haley changed me, there was just something about her that made me want to be a better person, someone that deserved to be with her, someone that deserved to be loved by her."

"I know," Taylor confessed with a sweet smile. She could see how genuinely bad Brooke felt about everything just by the look on her face and the way her body was reacting to the unpleasant memories. "I know, that you would never, ever hurt Haley again, but it's just my job, you know? It's in the big sister rule book and everything."

"It's totally cool," Brooke promised her, not wanting her to feel bad about something that needed to be discussed. Brooke had to admit, that was one of her worst fears, that she would somehow hurt Haley, somewhere down the line, and she never wanted to do that, not ever. She flashed Taylor her dimples and held her hands up in surrender. "I understand completely."

"Thanks." For some reason, she felt that she still needed to explain herself. "I like you Brooke, I do, but it's just … before and after everything, forget Peyton, forget all the crap I pull, all the jokes I make, all the screws up I've made; I love Haley more than anything in the whole world. I look at the life that I've made for myself, and Haley is the one good thing in it, the one thing that I'm proud of, and I will do anything to make her happy." She laughed bitterly at herself, not believing that she was crying. She couldn't remember the last time that she had cried. She had cried the whole way to the hospital when Peyton said Haley was hurt, but other than that, she couldn't recall the last time. She wiped roughly at her eyes, and sniffled. "And as much as it kills me to admit this to myself, that's your job now."

"What?"

"My little Haley-bub is all grown up," Taylor explained with a watery, but proud smile. "My job was to protect her from all those jackasses out there, make sure that she was safe and happy, stand up for her when bitchy cheerleaders made fun of her because she didn't go partying on Friday night and she had straight A's." Brooke smiled at the words, knowing they were directed at her. "But that's your job now. Haley has grown up right before my eyes into the most amazing person I have ever meet, and I am so unbelievably proud to say that I had some hand in raising her, because I think Haley is the only thing that I have ever done right in my entire life. She's amazing, and she deserves someone amazing, and I'm glad that she's already found that person."

"Thank you, Taylor." Brooke knew that she was wrong, she didn't really deserve Haley, but she was hoping with a little bit more time, she would be the person who did.

"And so, it's your turn to look after her," the older girl continued to explain her earlier comment. "As much as I wish it weren't true, Haley can't be my baby sister forever. I can't continue to protect her the way I wish I always could. She's found someone that will treat her right, someone else that can protect her." She winked at Brooke and wiped at her eyes again. "And I trust you to do the things that I used to do. When she's sad, I know that you'll hold her and listen to her and let her know that you'll always be there for her. I know that when you guys get into a fight over something completely pointless, you won't attack her and make her feel useless like my parents do. And I know that you'll always love her, just like I will." Taylor took a deep breath and laughed at herself for saying all of this. She had originally just planned on giving Brooke the usual big sister talk, but it had turned into so much more, all her fears had pushed their way to the surface. "So, I officially step down my post of overprotective older sister, and pass the torch to you, as you step up to take the throne of overprotective girlfriend."

"I've actually already got that role covered," Brooke replied, rolling her eyes. Haley was always telling her that she worried too much. "Listen Taylor, I know how much you love Haley, hell, you probably love her just as much as I do…"

"But in a very different way," Taylor made sure to make clear. Brooke glared playfully at her and continued.

"And I know that it must be hard to trust me with the most important thing in your life, especially given my history, but you can," she promised her. She was surprised that she was trying so hard to get Taylor's approval and trust. It was probably because she knew how important Taylor was to Haley, and she knew how important Taylor's approval was to Haley. And if it was important to Haley, it was even more important to Brooke. "You can trust me with Haley. I would never, ever to anything that would cause her any pain. I'm like you, Haley means everything to me, and I've never loved anything as much as I love Haley. She's it for me, okay? I'm always going to be there for her."

"I know you will," Taylor smirked at her, biting her bottom lip at the same time. "And if you do end up hurting her in any way, shape or form, I will not hesitate to rip you to shreds. Nobody hurts my Haley-bub." Brooke had never seen Taylor more serious about something in her entire life.

"Oh, I believe you." They both laughed at the genuine fear in Brooke's voice before falling into a comfortable silence. "And just so you know, everything you just said, same goes for Peyton. You hurt her and you're in big trouble."

"Gotcha," Taylor laughed again. "But what makes you so certain that I would be the one to hurt her?" It was obvious that there was no way that Haley would ever hurt anyone, let alone Brooke, but both Taylor and Peyton were pretty new to this.

"Please," Brooke scoffed. "Peyton would never hurt you."

**…WWHT…**

"Oh, I'm so gonna hurt her!" Peyton growled from her lounging position on Haley's bed. Her best friend had left the room a few minutes ago in search of candles, and the silence was already killing the ever-talkative Peyton.

"No you won't," Haley called back, just a couple doors down at the linen closet. She stood up on her tiptoes to see if there was anything on the top shelf, and cursed when there was nothing there. Sighing, she closed the door and moved to look in Taylor's bedroom. She was always lighting incense, she was sure to have some kind of candles, right?

"Oh yes, I will." The blonde could hear Haley moving around the floor in search of her precious candles, but made absolutely no move to help her look for some.

"And why would you want to hurt Taylor?" Haley asked, pulling her desk drawer open. "You looooveeeee her."

"I do not 'looooveeeee' her," the cheerleader protested half-heartedly. She didn't love Taylor, she's only known the girl for a week, but she had a strong feeling that if they played their cards right and took things slow, some she could. "I just happen to think that she's nice, funny, sweet, smart, incredibly sexy…"

"Taylor and Peyton, sitting in a tree," Haley teased in a singsong voice, but trailed off, choosing just to hum the last part of the childish song to herself. Damn it, there was nothing. She slammed the drawer shut and glanced around the room. Just like every other room in this damn house, there were absolutely no candles.

"Ha," Peyton laughed at the old song. "Shows how much you know. I'm scared of climbing trees ever since I fell out of the one on Brooke's lawn and broke my arm, so I wouldn't even be sitting in one."

"And people say I over think things," Haley mumbled as she reentered her room, empty-handed. Hearing Haley enter the room again, Peyton sat up on the bed to greet her and was surprised not to see any candles. Haley saw the look and growled. "There is not one single candle in this whole freaking house!"

"Not even in Tay's room?" Haley shook her head. "What do you need candles for anyway? Do they, like, calm you down or something? Cause you could really use some right about now, actually."

"It's for tonight," Haley stated, glaring at the blonde that was teasing her. She knew calling Peyton was a bad idea. The last thing she needed right now was Peyton's teasing. She was already on edge enough as it was; Peyton was not helping, as usual. But that was what made Peyton so damn loveable, she guessed. "You know, cause I heard somewhere that you're first time with the woman you love is supposed to be special or something, so I figured that I'd try to make it romantic."

"With candles?" Peyton asked and made a face, ignoring the sarcasm that had been practically dripping for Haley's voice. Haley gave her a blank look, not sure what exactly the problem was with candles. If you asked her, candles were a gesture that would never get old. "That is so old. Nobody lights candles anymore, that's how house fires get started."

"Alright, Mrs. I'm Dating A Guy I'm Not In Love With While Not So Secretly Lusting After My Best Friend's Older Sister, what's your idea of romance?"

"First of all, I prefer Miss," Peyton began. She stuck her tongue out and dodged the flying pillow that was hurled her way at the comment. Haley let out a frustrated sigh at Peyton's inability to take anything seriously and threw herself down on the bed beside the other girl. "Okay, okay, just give me a second to think."

"Don't hurt yourself." It was Haley's turn to dodge a pillow as she laughed.

"Okay, idea," Peyton announced, holding her finger up in the air. Haley tore her gaze from the very interesting ceiling and turned her head to the side to look at her best friend expectantly. "What's the most romantic event in your relationship with Brooke so far?" Haley didn't even have to think about it.

"The night Brooke told me she loved me," she answered without giving it a second thought. Haley couldn't help the grin that came to her face as she thought about that night. She had never felt more alive than she had when Brooke showed up at her house.

"O-kay," Peyton drew out, assuming that Haley was lost in the memory. She shifted slightly to her left so she was a little further away from the smaller girl incase she decided that she wanted a replay of that night. She waited for a moment until Haley stopped reliving it. "I'm assuming that it was special for a reason."

"Yeah," Haley smiled, her eyes glazing over again.

"Hales, you really need to stay with me here," Peyton told her, nudging her out of her thoughts. Haley jumped and shook her head, smiling shyly at the blonde, knowing she'd been caught.

"Sorry," she giggled like a schoolgirl. She always got all giddy just thinking about that night. "What did you ask again?"

"What am I gonna do with you?" Peyton asked, shaking her head. Haley smiled innocently at her and shrugged her shoulders in a helpless manner. "I asked what was so special about that night?"

"You mean besides when she said everything that I'd been waiting to here since the night in the café?" Peyton rolled her eyes and nodded. "She played our song."

"You guys have a song?" She and Jake had been going out since forever, and they didn't even have a song.

"Do you remember that stupid mix CD you made me a month ago with all those old cheesy pop songs?" Peyton nodded. "Well, I was listening to that, well, singing to it, when she walked into the café that night, she scared the shit out of me."

"Wow, how romantic," Peyton said sarcastically. Haley didn't hesitate to smack her in the shoulder for her comment. "Go on."

"Anyway," Haley restarted, glaring at Peyton out of the corner of her eye. "The CD was playing the entire time we were trapped in there, so it was on repeat. The same song I was singing to before was playing when we started making out…"

"I get it," Peyton cut her off. "So, basically, Brooke went the other cheesy route of playing your song. Isn't that precious. You two were like made for each other."

"Shut up," Haley chastised her, kicking her roughly in the shin. Peyton yelped and immediately pulled her leg up and rubbed it where it hurt. "It wasn't cheesy. It was incredibly sweet and romantic. It meant a lot that she remembered the song and everything, cause we never really said anything about it after that."

"So it wasn't really officially your song at the time?" Peyton clarified. Haley thought about that for a moment before nodding, deciding that was the best description for it. "I guess that's kinda sweet, for Brooke, anyway."

"So what do you think?" Haley asked. For some reason, she really wanted to know what Peyton thought about this whole thing. Even though she was pretty sure she already knew what she wanted to do to make this special and sweet, she was still Haley, and she still needed reinforcement on every decision she made. "Should I do something like that?"

"Sounds like it's perfect for the two of you," Peyton answered with a firm nod of her head, pleased to see that her answer seemed to make Haley happy.

"Thanks, Pey."

"I'd still go with popping out of a cake wearing nothing but your earrings," she finished her thought with a serious look on her face. "But whatever floats your boat, I guess."

**…WWHT…**

"I guess this is farewell," Taylor pointed out with fake sadness as she pulled up to the corner of her house. They were parked at an angle that prevented her from seeing Peyton's old car still parked in the driveway. It had been later than she expected, almost 10 o'clock when Haley had finally called her to tell her that she was ready for her to bring Brooke home.

"Um, don't you live here?" Brooke asked as she undid her seatbelt and turned to look at Taylor like she was slowly starting to go insane, which Brooke was seriously starting to suspect.

"I have somewhere to go quickly," Taylor fibbed. She was never good at thinking up lies on the spot like that. She guessed that came with all the years of growing up in a house where it didn't matter what the hell you did. Most teenagers got their lying practice with their parents, not anyone in the James family though, that would imply that their parents cared.

"Well, I could go with you then," Brooke suggested, stopping her movements of opening the door. "There's no point in making two trips."

"Brooke, just…" Taylor searched her mind for a reply to Brooke's suggestion. She didn't like it, cheerleaders were not supposed to be sensible. Damn, Haley, she cursed. "Just get of my car. I've spent all day with you, I need two seconds to myself alright?"

"Haley's got a surprise in there for me, huh?" Brooke smirked, enjoying playing with Taylor's head. The James sisters were a lot of things, but subtle wasn't one of them. She knew as soon as Taylor dragged her out of Haley's bed that morning for 'a day of shopping, just the three of them' that she was up to something. Not to mention the mystery call Peyton got from Haley. Taylor looked at her like a dear caught in headlights. Brooke laughed. "It was so obvious that you were trying to keep me busy so she could do whatever it is that she's doing."

"Aren't you a little self absorbed?" Taylor tried, going right into defensive mode. Haley was so going to kill her. She knew this lame plan was never going to work. This type of thing never worked for surprise parties, why would it have worked for this? "Why would you be so special for Haley to go to all this trouble for a surprise for you? Huh, what have you done that's so special?"

"You are so bad at this," Brooke observed with a smile. She shook her head in sheer disappointment and started opening the door. Taylor watched her in shock, still cursing herself for doing such a bad job.

"There's no surprise!" she called out as the door shut. Luckily, Brooke had left her window wide open. Brooke bent down and stuck her head through it, a victorious smile plastered on her face. Her eyes widened comically as she stuck her tongue out at the older blonde, making a funny face. "There isn't!"

"Whatever," Brooke giggled, blowing her a kiss before pulling away and stepping up onto the curb to watch Taylor drive off. Instead of driving off though, Taylor leaned over in her seat so she could look out the passenger window.

"You left all your crap in here," she reminder her. She had given up trying to cover up for her little sister. They were caught, and there was nothing she could do about it. As unbelievable as it sounded, Brooke was just too clever for them. Taylor had to hold in her laughter at the thought.

"I'll get it after," Brooke laughed. "I mean, you will be back in a couple of minutes, right?" She flashed Taylor her million dollar smile, the one that both got her in and out of trouble all her life. Taylor growled at her. "That's what you said."

"I hate you," Taylor hissed, though both knew that she wasn't serious. She wasn't going to win this. Rolling her eyes, and leaning into the back slightly, she eyed all the bags for a moment before finding the one she wanted and tossing it out the window at Brooke. Not expecting the sudden flying projectile coming at her, it smacked her right in her smirking face before it dropped into her arms. "Take that. Have fun." Without another word, Taylor pressed the gas and pealed away from the curb and drove off into the night.

"Bitch," Brooke laughed under her breath as she watched her girlfriend's sister speed off. She shook her head, realizing that one day she could be related to that weirdo. Now that was a scary thought. Shaking her head, she peeked into the bag and furrowed her brow at what she was in there. What the hell? Before she had a chance to think about it anymore, however, she heard a noise behind her.

"Brookie?" came the familiar voice from behind her. She quickly closed the bag and spun around to see her best friend standing on her girlfriend's porch. "We were wondering when you gonna get here."

"What are you still doing here?" Brooke asked, walking up the lawn towards her waiting friend on the porch. Peyton closed the door quickly before walking down the steps and meeting Brooke on the walkway.

"I was just waiting for you to get here," Peyton answered, a little better at lying than Taylor was. "Haley was really bored before, so she asked me to stay until you and Taylor were done."

"That was her SOS?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrow. She could usually read Peyton pretty well; well enough to know when she was lying anyway, and she was pretty sure that now was one of those times. A normal person would have suspected some kind of affair was going on, with all the sneaking around, but she knew Haley and she knew Peyton and Taylor, so she was positive that it wasn't anything of the sort.

"You know Haley," Peyton shrugged, hoping Brooke would just leave her alone and let her be on her way. Haley had been freaked out about this, she had worked herself into a complete frenzy trying to make everything perfect, and there was no way that she was going to make all of that worth nothing by completely blowing Haley's secret to Brooke. "She's a complete drama queen."

"Just like her sister," Brooke laughed. Okay, she was through messing around with the blonde, she just wanted to get inside now and see her girlfriend. This mystery surprise was killing her. What could Haley possible have that would surprise her?

"Well," Peyton began, becoming uneasy at the mention of Taylor. She was already freaked out enough that she had actually told Haley about her feelings, not to mention finding out about Taylor's supposed feelings towards her, she didn't need Brooke finding out right now either. And she certainly didn't want to steal Haley's thunder, since apparently Brooke would be very excited to hear of the confession, which Peyton was glad she wouldn't be there for. "I'm gonna head home now. Have a good time."

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?" Brooke wondered out load. Peyton eyed her for a moment longer before turning to leave, smacking Brooke on the ass on her way by. Brooke moved up to the porch and stood there, bag in hand and waited until Peyton pulled out of the driveway before turning towards the door. She looked at it in thought for a moment, trying to decide if she should knock or not. Normally, she just walked right in, but she didn't want to ruin Haley's surprise or anything. Deciding to air on the side of caution, Brooke raised her hand and knocked twice.

She stood there for a moment, waiting for any sound inside, but she didn't hear anything. Raising her hand again, she rang the doorbell this time. Again there was nothing from inside the house. She let out a sigh and decided she would just have to go in and hope that's what Haley wanted. She knew her girlfriend was home, Peyton had just left the house after all, and she knew that Haley would be able to hear the doorbell from everywhere in her house, so she assumed the lack of an answer was Haley's way of getting her inside.

"Hales?" she called out, stepping into the house and closing the door. Knowing that Taylor had been lying through her teeth and wasn't going to be coming back tonight, Brooke immediately turned the deadbolt on the door, locking it. "Baby, where are you?"

"In my room," was the faint answer she received. Brooke couldn't help but notice that she sounded nervous as hell, her voice wavering with just those three short words.

"Is it alright if I come up?" Brooke asked, walking towards the stairs, but not coming up them yet. She still wasn't sure if she was ready for her yet. Brooke was quickly going through all the different scenarios in her head, trying to figure out what the hell Haley was up to, but she couldn't think of anything. She couldn't smell anything, so it wasn't a belated anniversary dinner, and it wasn't her birthday.

"Yeah," she heard. Brooke glanced around her quickly to make sure that there weren't any hidden cameras around her before she stepped up and started walking up the stairs slowly. It wasn't long before she was at Haley's door, staring at the wooden frame, trying to calm her nerves. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that she was really going to like what was waiting for her on the other side of that door.

Taking a deep breath and holding it in slightly, she closed her eyes and grabbed for the doorknob, slowly turning it and pushing it open. She could almost feel the air change around her, feel it get heavier as she entered the room. She stepped inside, moving to the side just enough to close the door, and leaned all her weight on it. After a moment or two, she let out her breath and opened her eyes.

She didn't know what she expected to find, but what she saw definitely surprised her. Haley was sitting in the middle of her room, dressed up and hair done perfectly, both she knew were credit to Peyton, looking like the most beautiful thing in the entire world. That didn't surprise her though; it was the keyboard that sat in front of Haley that did.

She couldn't remember all the times she had begged Haley to sing for her again. Ever since their first night in the café, when she had walked in on her singing that song, Haley's voice had haunted her, made her crave more of it. She had begged and pleaded with Haley to sing for her, any song would have made her happy, but Haley refused. She said singing was something that she only ever did by herself; she could never trust someone enough to hear her voice.

Brooke was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Haley close her eyes, and move her hands to touch the keys in front of her. It was the sound of that oh so sweet, angelic voice that had haunted her since she first heard it, that broke her from her thoughts and brought her back to the reality of the situation.

_The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful  
Stop me and steal my breath  
Emeralds from mountains thrust toward the sky  
Never revealing their depth  
Tell me that we belong together  
Dress it up with the trappings of love  
I'll be captivated  
I'll hang from your lips  
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above_

Brooke's heart stopped and her knees went weak as she realized what song Haley was singing. Yeah, she knew the song was probably the most overplayed love song in the history of pop music, but that didn't matter to her. It was the song that they shared their first kiss to, it was song that made her realize that she wanted to be with Haley for the rest of her life, it was the song that was playing when she told Haley she loved her.

It was their song.

**…WWHT…**

Peyton bounced her head along to the music that was currently blaring from her CD player. It wasn't the normal music she would listen to, and she wasn't embarrassed in the slightest to be blaring the Spice Girls from her old car. People knew that she had amazing taste in music, so if they heard her listening to it, they knew it was cool, so it didn't matter. Not that she cared what other people thought about her anyway.

Ever since Haley had mentioned the CD of old pop songs she made last month, Peyton had been humming all of the songs she remembered putting on the CD. She had begged Haley to tell her what song she was going to sing to Brooke, she was dying to know what their song was so she could tease Brooke about it later, but Haley wasn't going to tell her anything.

Even when she asked to hear more about what went on earlier in their relationship; Haley was hesitant to tell her. It took her a couple of hours to finally convince Haley to go through everything that happened, after pointing out that they had hours to go before it was late enough to call Taylor to bring Brooke home.

To say that she was shocked at what she heard would be one of the biggest understatements of the century, but she was really interesting in hearing how everything begin and how they became official and when. She really wanted to know how they got to have the most perfect relationship she had ever seen, in hopes that she and Taylor might someday be able to use their pointers.

While she was listening to Haley go over everything that she had gone through, all the pain that Brooke had put her through, she started to rethink her decision to tell Taylor how she felt. Haley didn't know for sure if Taylor felt the same way, and Peyton wasn't willing to take that risk. A lot of people would be surprised to know this, but Haley was a whole hell of a lot stronger than Peyton was. The fact that she had been in a safe relationship with a guy that she didn't love for as long as she had, proved that fact.

Yeah, she really liked Taylor, and she wished more than anything that she could have a relationship like Brooke and Haley have, but was she willing to go through all the pain that Haley went through? No, she wasn't because she didn't think she could stand it. If she could, she would take the risk, but that wasn't going to happen.

If she knew for sure that Taylor really liked her too, and not just that she thought she was hot, but _really_ liked her too, then she would be willing to give them a shoot. But for some reason, she just couldn't picture Taylor pouring her heart out to her like that. Yes, Haley and Taylor were alike in many different ways, but expressing their feelings wasn't really one of them.

When it came to relationships, Taylor was more like Brooke, or the way Brooke used to be. Taylor didn't have relationships, she sex buddies, and one night stands, she had Friends With Benefits. Peyton wasn't looking for something like that. Haley might have been so into Brooke that she was willing to let Brooke treat her that way, but she wasn't willing to let Taylor do that to her.

If her choices were being content with Jake for the rest of her life or feeling useless with Taylor, she would take the former any day. She liked Taylor, she really did, but she wasn't willing to do that to herself. Maybe she wasn't as brave as Haley to take the risk and believe that Taylor's interest went further than her looks, but that just meant that she had more self-respect than Haley did.

She sighed as she rounded the corner to her street with a sharp turn and pulled into her dark driveway. She turned off the car and sat in her seat for a moment, staring up at her pitch black house. She hated sleeping there alone every night, but she hated coming home to an empty house even more. She missed her mom more than anything, but she really just wished that her dad would get his act together and come home.

She was so damn sick of being alone.

Shaking her head, Peyton undid her seatbelt and pushed open the door of her baby, and step out, carefully shutting it behind her. Checking to make sure that all the doors were locked, she walked around it and started making her way to her front door. She was only two steps into her journey up the walkway when she spotted a figure sitting on her porch.

"Hey, Pey Pey," came the sweet voice from the shadows. She had always hated it when Haley called her that, but for some reason, she couldn't keep the smile off her face when _she_ called her that. "I was hoping you'd be home soon."

"Taylor?" Peyton breathed out, not being able to keep her excitement at seeing her inside. Sure, she wasn't planning on spilling her heart out to Taylor, but that didn't mean she still didn't have the hots for her. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," she answered, pushing herself off of the steps and bringing herself into Peyton's view. All the stuff that Peyton had been thinking about in the car almost completely left her mind the moment she caught sight if Taylor's beautiful face in the light. "Everything okay at my house?"

"I think so," Peyton nodded, moving forward. She shoved her hands into her coat pockets, not knowing what else to do with them. She always had to play with them and fiddle with them when she was nervous. "Brooke was really confused when I left, but I don't think it'll take her long to figure out what Haley has planned."

"She's a smart girl, that Brooke is," Taylor agreed, finally reaching the younger girl and standing awkwardly in front of her. She had been so sure about coming here and doing this, but now that Peyton was right in front of her, she had no idea what she was thinking.

"A lot of people don't know that about her," Peyton agreed, happy to be talking about something instead of just standing around like idiots. "But she's really smart, she gets people, she can read them really well."

"Yeah, about that." Taylor decided that she couldn't just stand there any more. She couldn't take being this close to Peyton, alone without saying something. Brooke had told her that Peyton felt the same, and although she still had her doubts about that, she had always been a risk taker, and she was willing to follow through with this. "Brooke said something really interesting to me today."

"Oh, really?" Peyton asked, not knowing where this was going. She worked up all her courage and raised her head to look up and into Taylor's eyes. The emotions that she saw there for the first time was enough to make her melt. She swallowed hard, struggling to get past the lump that had formed there. "What did she say?"

"She was telling me all about…" Taylor began to retell, going over her speech that she had planned out. She closed her eyes for a moment and then reopened them, and refocused her gaze to Peyton. "You know what? Forget that. I had this whole thing planned out to tell you, about everything that Brooke told me, about how it made me feel, but I can't be bothered. I was never good at that shit, Haley was always so much better with words than me."

"What are you trying to say, Taylor?"

"I want you," she simply stated. She let out a little laugh at her bluntness, but didn't back down. She had never done anything like this before; she had never been so forward about her feeling about anyone. "I want you so much it hurts sometimes. I've never felt this way about anyone before, and it scares me a little bit, but I don't care. I want you. Whenever I'm away from you, I can't stop thinking about you. Whenever I hear your name, I feel my heart speed up, and whenever I'm around you, it gets hard to think and my palms get sweaty. I feel like I'm some God damned teenage boy around Britney Spears or something."

"Taylor…"

"I don't just want you, Pey," Taylor cut her off, reading her mind. "I want to _be with_ you. I look at Haley and Brooke, and I see how happy they make each other, how amazingly adorable they are together, and I want that. And when I think about myself in that kind of relationship, I can't picture it with anyone else but you. I don't know whether it's the curly hair, the goofy attitude, or the way your entire face lights up when you laugh, but there's just something about you that gets to me, it draws me in and makes me fall for you even more."

"I know I don't have a very good track record with dating," Taylor continued, laughing at her own words. That was putting it nicely. "Hell, I think the last time I actually had a boyfriend was when I was fourteen and Tommy Duncan asked me to go steady. I don't date, Peyton, I can stay interested in someone for longer than a night to date them. But it's different with you; you're constantly surprising me, making me think about things that I never would have thought about, and you make me laugh. God, Pey, I've never had more fun around anyone as I do when I'm with you."

"I want you to give this a chance," she asked her. She took a step forward, getting into Peyton's personal space, but Peyton didn't mind a bit. "I want you to give us a chance. I know you've got that dumbass boyfriend of yours, but he's not right for you, Peyton, I know he's not. We've been hanging out for over a week now, and I haven't heard him call you once. If I were with you, I couldn't stand to be away from you for that long. He doesn't see how amazing you are, he couldn't, not if he could just take off for a week without even telling you. You deserve to be with someone who knows just how amazing you are, and that's me."

Peyton's eyes searched Taylor's face, looking for any sign that she was lying about anything that she had just told her. Peyton was good at reading people, just like Brooke was, and she could tell that Taylor was serious about this. She had never seen someone look as serious about anything as Taylor was about this. And Peyton didn't know what to do.

She had decided just minutes ago that she was just going to be friends with Taylor. She was going to push her feelings to the back of her head, and just try to be friends with Taylor because she didn't think that her heart could take anything else. She thought she knew what Taylor was all about, but just when she was sure of herself and she had accepted what their relationship was destined be, Taylor had to pull all of this out from nowhere, and completely mess with her head.

Taylor had just said everything that she had ever wanted to hear from her. She just destroyed everything that Peyton had had doubts about. She was worried that Taylor just wanted her for sex, and that wasn't true. Taylor really liked her; she liked things about her that Jake had never complimented her about, probably never even noticed. God, she even wanted what Brooke and Haley had, just like she did.

"Peyton," Taylor whispered, stepping even closer to her, so they were only millimeters apart. Peyton felt the shiver run down her spine as Taylor's voice tickled her face. "I know this sounds crazy, like it will never work, but if Brooke and Haley have taught us anything, it's that you can make anything work if you want it bad enough, if you love each other enough." Taylor tentatively reached up and gently brushed away a single curl that had fallen in Peyton's face, letting her hand linger on her cheek. "What do you say, Beautiful? You willing to give us a shot?"

Peyton bit her lower lip in an attempt to keep in the tears that threatened to escape at the sheer emotion of what was happening. Peyton Sawyer had dealt with a lot of pain in her life, and she had shed her fair share of tears, but never before had she cried because she was just too damn happy to control it. She honestly didn't think it was possible to cry happy tears.

All the fears that she had about what would happen to her if she let Taylor in left her mind when she gazed into Taylor's eyes and saw all the feelings they held there. Peyton looked into Taylor's eyes, and she wasn't afraid anymore.

"Hell yes," she answered with a laugh that came out more like a sob. She gazed at Taylor through watery eyes as the other girl idly wiped away her tears. Taylor's face broke into the biggest grin Peyton had ever seen in her entire life.

"Yeah?" Taylor asked, her voice breaking as she went so high, overpowered with unbelievable hope. Peyton laughed at her, leaning forward and pressing their foreheads together.

"Yeah." Not having anything else to say, Taylor closed the little distance that was left between them, and brought their lips together in a slow, gentle, caring kiss that blew both of their expectations out of the water. The kiss was subtle, passionate but not demanding or overpowering, and softer than either girl had ever thought possible.

After a few moments, Peyton pulled away, not being able to take the delicious torture anymore. Once they separated, the cheerleader couldn't help but bring her hand up to her lips to make sure that she hadn't just imagined that happen. She smiled softly at Taylor when she felt how swollen her lips were already. Taylor smiled back at her adoringly, finding the expression on her face to be the most endearing thing she'd ever seen.

"I can't wait to do that for the rest of my life." Peyton laughed at her out of pure happiness and shook her head. To stop the fresh flood of tears that she felt coming, she reached forward and grabbed a handful of Taylor's shirt, pulling the older girl against her for another heavenly kiss.

**…WWHT…**

"I could listen to you for the rest of my life," was the only thing that Brooke could manage to say when Haley finally finished singing her song. After taking a moment to recover, Brooke let her eyes flutter open and rest on Haley's nervous face, the sweetest smile imaginable appearing on her face.

"You liked it?" Haley asked, her voice amazingly insecure and unsure. She didn't know why she was so damn nervous, she knew that even if she did suck, there was no way that Brooke was going to laugh in her face. She had to admit, there was a time that she thought that was a possibility, which was why she always refused to sing for Brooke. Singing was something that she always loved to do, but never in front of someone else. No one, not even Taylor, had ever heard her sing. It was something that she only did for herself. She wasn't sure why she didn't like others to hear her, and she knew it was more than just stage fright.

"Are you insane?" Brooke questioned, completely shocked that Haley didn't know what an incredibly amazing voice she had. Dropping her bag onto the floor by the door, careful that it didn't fall open and freak Haley out, she pushed herself off the wooden door and slowly sauntered over to Haley. She waited until she was standing right beside her, and knelt down so they were eye level. "Baby, I loved it."

"Really?" Brooke laughed at how adorable Haley looked when she was nervous like this. She shook her head, and stood up, taking Haley's hand and pulling her up with her. Brooke turned them around and dropped herself in the chair that Haley had just been sitting in and sat Haley down on her lap. She pulled Haley to her tighter, wrapping her arms around Haley's waist and kissing her softly on her exposed collarbone.

"I have never heard a more beautiful sound in my entire life," Brooke told her, the honesty in her voice traveling to Haley's ears. "You have the most incredible voice, it sent chills up my spine. You know that I've been wanting to hear you sing since the last time, and I've got to tell you, baby, it was worth the wait. That was more beautiful than I could have ever dreamed of."

"Thank you, Tigger," Haley whispered, turned her head around slightly so she could place a small, soft kiss on Brooke's lips. Brooke gave her an affirmative nod, and a goofy look, telling her it was her pleasure. Haley giggled and leaned further into her girlfriend, resting her head against Brooke's. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

"No," Brooke corrected her, shaking her arms to jostled Haley a bit. "You have no idea how much it means to me that you sang for me. I know how private you are when it comes to your voice, that for some unknown reason you don't think that people should hear it, and it means so much to me that you were willing to share that with me."

"I love you," Haley reasoned with her, pulling her head away and turned her body around completely to one side so she could look into Brooke's beautiful brown eyes. All the love and trust and adoration she found in Brooke's eyes still surprised her. She still found it unbelievable that the gorgeous girl underneath her was all her's. "I trust you, and I wanted to share this with you. I want to share _everything_ with you."

"You do," Brooke assured her, looking at her strangely, trying to figure out what Haley was trying to get at. Was she hiding something from her? Is that what all of this was about? She looked at her girlfriend, searching her eyes for any sign of betrayal and just like she had expected, she found nothing but love, happiness, nervousness and self-doubt, just like she usually did. "I've never been with anyone the way I've been with you. We do share everything, everything you feel, all the pain, all the hurt, all the sadness, all the happiness, I feel it too. When you're smiling, I'm smiling, and when you're crying, I'm crying too."

"Brooke," Haley hushed her, placing a soft finger on the brunette's lips before replacing them with her own. She shook her head in amusement and couldn't help but laugh adoringly at Brooke's sweet words. "That's not what I meant."

"It's not?" Brooke asked in confusion, looking up at her with cloudy eyes. For the first time in what felt like forever, Brooke wasn't sure what Haley was thinking or talking about. She placed her hand on Haley's lower back, right on top of her tattoo, keeping her in place as she straightened up in the chair, pulling them both up into a more comfortable position. She blamed the pure sexiness of Haley on her lack of understanding right now. Having Haley this close to her, and on her lap, she was understandably finding it extremely hard to concentrate. Not that she was complaining in the least bit, though.

"No," Haley teased, shaking her head. As she looked at Brooke's adorable and confused face, she couldn't remember any of the reasons she had for being scared about this. She looked at Brooke and saw everything she ever wanted to see in the person she'd give her virginity to. Brooke was right last week at dinner, Haley realized, Brooke did look at her in a way that made it obvious to any random stranger that she was in love with her. It was obvious to Haley that Brooke loved her as much as she said she did, and looking into Brooke's eyes, Haley also knew that she had absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

"Then what did you mean?" Brooke watched as Haley's face both lit up in excitement and flushed a light pink at the same time when hearing the question. Haley bowed her head in embarrassment and let her hair fall forward, blocking her face from Brooke's view. Brooke frowned and reached forward, brushing the fallen hair over Haley's shoulder so she could see her face. "Baby, what is all of this about? What do you want to share with me?"

"_Everything_," Haley repeated, drawing out the word as best she could, and widening her eyes for effected. Brooke's brow furrowed in confusion for a moment as she looked at Haley and tried to get what she was saying. Haley bit her lip and rolled her eyes to the left, in the direction of her bed. Brooke didn't catch the meaning still and raised an eyebrow at her. Haley let out a sigh of frustration. Why did Brooke have to make everything so damn difficult? "Jesus, Brooke, I want to make love to you!" Brooke's eyes widened and her mouth hung open for a moment before she broke out into a smile.

"I know," she smirked, grimacing when Haley smacked her in the arm.

"Tigger!" Haley exclaimed, blushing an even deeper shade of red at what just happened. She knew that Brooke loved to tease her, but that was just cruel. Brooke laughed at the look of sheer embarrassment on Haley's face for a moment before sobering up when she received the death glare for her actions. "That was so mean!"

"I know, I'm sorry," Brooke admitted, giving Haley her special pout and puppy dog eyes. She had learned it from Haley a while ago, and quickly found that not only could Haley master the look, she wasn't immune to it. She let out another slight laugh, but stopped when Haley swatted her again. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, baby. I just figured; if you're mature enough to have it, you should be able to say it."

"You sound like my mother, or _a _mother anyway," Haley commented, even though she knew that was what Brooke was going for. She decided not to dwell on that fact for too long, since she didn't exactly want to be thinking about her mother right now, or any time she was with Brooke, really.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it," Brooke teased, leaning forward and kissing Haley softly on the lips, hoping for forgiveness. "You're just so darn cute when you blush, I had to do it."

"Yeah, well," Haley mocked, but her demeanor crumbled at the look Brooke was giving her. She sighed and slumped her shoulders, leaning into the hug Brooke was giving her and gave up. "You're lucky you're so darn cute, that I can't stay mad at you."

"I hope I didn't kill the mood." As much as Brooke loved this, she couldn't stop thinking about what Haley had said. She had expected her to say sex, but she didn't, she said make love. Brooke had had sex dozens of times, with dozens of different guys, but she'd never made love before. And she was looking forward to it.

"There wasn't much mood," Haley admitted, looking around her room and seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Everything was exactly the way it was the night before, when they had laid down on her bed and went to sleep. "I wanted to make this really special, you know, cause it is. I wanted to have candles everywhere and maybe some rose petals or something, but Peyton said it was way too cheesy." Brook smiled at that, knowing that was defiantly something that her best friend would say. "Plus, can you believe that there isn't a single candle in this whole house?"

"That's craziness," Brooke replied in fake shock, as if it were really a big deal. Haley narrowed her eyes at her, not in the mood to be mocked anymore. Brooke placed her hand on Haley's lap, over her hand, intertwining their fingers together. "Baby, you know that no amount of candles or rose petals would make this night any more special than it's going to be."

"I knew you'd think like that," Haley said proudly, glad that she didn't follow Peyton's advice to get dressed up in some of Taylor's lingerie to greet Brooke at the door. That just felt too skanky, and they weren't about that. This wasn't about the physical; it was more about the emotional to them. "Peyton wanted to sex me all up for you, but I knew you didn't need that. That's why I decided on singing you the song."

"That's my girl," Brooke gushed, give Haley a pat on the butt for her good thinking. Haley smiled and gave her a 'who me?' look and blushed. "Doin' it Tigger Style, huh? Do you realize that every major step in our relationship has been accompanied by that song?"

"Why do you think I picked it, silly?" Brooke was being so amazing about this. Haley couldn't even believe that she had ever been afraid of this. She should have known that Brooke was going to be amazingly sweet about it, and help her every step of the way.

"Aw, my baby's such a smarty," Brooke sighed in happiness, bringing their lips together in a kiss. It was more passionate and more intense than the other ones that they had shared tonight, letting them both know that the small talk was coming to an end.

Brooke cupped her hand around Haley's ass, trying to turn her body around to face her. Haley got the message with the little brain functions that she still had, and pulled away for a split second to carefully maneuver her body so she was now straddling her girlfriend, and then brought their lips crashing back together as if they had never separated.

Haley didn't know if it was the position they were in, or knowing what was going to happen later, but she had never felt so hot over a kiss in her entire life. Everything that Brooke was doing; moving her tongue along her top lip slowly, nibbling on her bottom one and running her hands over her back, it was all driving her extra crazy tonight.

Brooke's mind was spinning as well, just a complete puddle of incoherent thoughts and buzzing emotions. She couldn't count the number of times that she and Haley had kissed, and yet it seemed that everytime they did it, it just kept getting better than the last. She hadn't been lying when she told Peyton that Haley's lips were Heaven, because they were. Everything about her girlfriend was heavenly, but there was just something about her lips, about the way they felt against her's that drove Brooke wild.

Without giving it another thought, Brooke leaned forward, bending Haley back and moved her lips to Haley's jaw line, leaving soft, wet kisses there, before leaving a trail down to her neck. She sucked and kissed and bit at the exposed skin as Haley swooned at the amazing feeling.

Haley's hands absently found their way into Brooke's hair and buried themselves there. She was partly hanging on and partly just trying to get any contact with Brooke possible. Her eyes fluttered open and closed as Brooke's soft lips and tongue left their impressions on her neck, collarbone and shoulder. After a few more moments of attention there, Brooke missed Haley's lips and went in search for them again.

Haley was completely lost in the feeling of pure pleasure, when she felt her body being lifted into the air. She could feel both of Brooke's hands on her ass, holding her firmly against her, carrying her over to the bed. Brooke didn't break their kiss for an instant, as she gently lowered Haley onto her back on the bed and placed herself on top of her, putting most of her weight on her forearms on either side of Haley's head.

Once they were both lying on the bed, Brooke reluctantly pulled away from Haley to look into her eyes, wanting to make sure that this was really what she wanted. She would never forgive herself if they went further with this and Haley wasn't completely sure about it. At the loss of contact, Haley's eyes fluttered open to see what Brooke was doing, and Brooke couldn't help but smile softly at her when she saw all the heat and desire in Haley's eyes.

"You stopped," Haley pointed out, not being able to think of anything else intelligent to say right now. Her mind was still trying to catch up with her hormones. Brooke laughed softly at her, leaning all her weight to one side, so she could reach up and brush some of Haley's tangled hair out of her face.

"I just wanted to make sure that this is what you want," Brooke whispered to her huskily, still trying to keep her labored breathing under control. Haley's glazed over and cloudy eyes roamed Brooke's face, falling on her swollen lips. She reached up and placed her fingers on them, tracing the edge of them. Brooke's eye flutter closed for a moment, as she kissed the fingers softly. "Baby…"

"I want this," Haley whispered, stopping any further protest that Brooke was going to make. She thought it was sweet that Brooke wanted to double check, but it was unnecessary. "I want you." She moved her hand to the back of Brooke's head and pulled her down towards her for a kiss. "I'm ready."

"I love you so much," Brooke breathed out, gazing down at the woman she loved more than anything. She'd never seen Haley look more beautiful as she did spread out underneath her. "I want you to know that before we do anything. I love you more than anything, baby, and whether we do this tonight or not, that won't change."

"I love you, too," Haley assured her, running her fingernails along the back of Brooke's neck, something she knew drove her girlfriend crazy. Their lips meet again within seconds and before long, Brooke's hands began to wander the length of Haley's smooth legs, finding their way up her thigh.

As Brooke's hand wandered Haley's body, and their tongues continued to dance in the mist of their kisses, Haley's hands found Brooke's skin, rubbing her back in a soothing manner. Soon, she brought her hands around to Brooke's front, laying them flat against Brooke's toned stomach.

Feeling Brooke's hand stop on her upper thigh, Haley decided that if she was ever going to get Brooke to start something, she'd have to do it. Being uncharacteristically bold, Haley let her hands travel up Brooke's shirt, all the way up to her breast, and let her fingers just graze them.

Brooke gasped at the sudden touch, immediately pulling back from Haley's lips to look at her again, but kept her hand firmly on Haley's thigh. Haley closed her eyes tight and the loss of contact and let out a quiet sigh at Brooke's hesitance.

"Hales, are you sure that this is what…"

"Brooke?" Haley cut her off, snapping her eyes open and glaring at the girl leaning over her.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up," she commended. Not waiting for Brooke's reply, she pushed herself up on her elbows and brought Brooke's lips together with her's for a sheering kiss, making sure to drive Brooke extra wild with her tongue. With one quick maneuver, she flipped Brooke so she was on her back, and Haley was stranding her.

"Okay," Brooke gasped, completely intoxicated by the woman on top of her. There was nothing she could do now, they were both too far gone to stop it, and she honestly didn't think she would ever want to.

Haley laughed at the glazed over look on Brooke's face, and shook her head. Without a second thought or any hesitation, Haley grabbed the hem of her shirt and quickly pulled it over her head in one quick motion, tossing it to the floor beside the bed. Brooke watched, completely fascination as Haley undid her bra, her hand not shaking one bit, and tossed it to the floor with her shirt.

"My God," Brooke whispered, letting her hands massage Haley's completely flat stomach, moving up, almost to her breasts before coming back down to rest on the sides of Haley's waist, as if holding her in place on top of her. "You're beautiful."

Even with all the bold moves that Haley had just finished doing, she still turned an adorable shade of red at the compliment. She smiled and leaned down, taking Brooke's cheeks in her hand and squeezing them so her face was scrunched together.

"What did I tell you about talking?"

"Sahwe," Brooke mumbled, looking up at Haley innocently. Haley giggled again and let Brooke's face loose, planting a wet one on her lips.

"Now," Haley began, straightening up and watching as Brooke stared at her naked chest heaving up and down as she tried to even out her breathing. "Let's get us even, missy." Brooke quickly scrambled into action, not wanting to waste any time getting her shirt off. Haley laughed at how fast she was moving. "That's more like it."

"I was just trying to be a gentlemen…" Brooke began to explain her slow start, but was cut off by an assault on her lips. After a moment, she felt Haley shimmy down her body so she was now leaning above her and start to kiss her neck. "Right, no talking." Haley giggled a little against Brooke's skin, moving up to whisper into her ear.

"I told you I liked it on top."

**…WWHT…**

"That was…wow," was the only thing Haley could think of as she collapsed against Brooke on the bed. She was covered in sweat and her hair wouldn't stay out of her face, but she couldn't keep the smile from her lips. She let out a content sigh and snuggled into Brooke's side, closing her eyes when she felt Brooke's arm wrap around her, pulling her close and kissing her messy hair softly. "I have never felt anything like that in my entire life."

"You enjoyed it?" Brooke asked, smirking against Haley's head at how giddy she was being. Just when she thought that Haley couldn't possibly get any cuter, she never stopped amazing her.

"It was amazing," Haley answered, still in awe at how happy and light headed she felt. Sure, she knew that sex was something that people enjoyed, but she couldn't say that she ever thought it would be that good. She knew, though, that if she had had it with anyone else it wouldn't have felt that good. It was the love that she had for Brooke, and the love that Brooke had for her, that made it that special.

Even though Haley's mind was still spinning a million miles a minute, she couldn't help but notice that Brooke hadn't really said anything in a while. Brooke was being uncharacteristically quiet and it was starting to scare Haley, almost enough to kill her buzz. Biting her lip, she tilted her head up, propping it on Brooke's upper chest to get a better look at her girlfriend, hoping to gage her mind frame.

"You're being quiet," Haley pointed out, trying not to show just how nervous she was. She had been so busy basking in the glory, she hadn't even thought about asking if Brooke enjoyed herself as much as she did. Judging by the way she was acting, the answer was no. "What are you thinking about?"

"You," Brooke answered simply, a serene grin on her lips, her eyes closed. After a moment, she could sense that Haley was looking at her, and she opened her eyes to meet Haley's. She could practically see the question marks in them. "What?"

"It's just, I just wanted to, you know, make sure…" Haley tried, fumbling over the words as she tried to decide the best way to ask this. It was an extremely difficult topic that left her pretty vulnerable. "I didn't know, since you hadn't really said anything, I was just worried that, that you maybe, didn't enjoy it as much as me? And I don't want you to feel like you have to lie to me, because I want to have a completely honest relationship, and you can tell me if I did something wrong, or if I was doing something too much or…"

"Oh, baby, you have no idea," Brooke drew out, her voice more calm and relaxed than it had ever been. She rubbed her hand up and down Haley's arm slowly, loosely wrapping her other arm around her body as well. She didn't understand why it was so hard for her to move, it was like she couldn't feel anything but the tingling in her toes and the incredibly happy buzzing in her head.

"I didn't, I didn't do anything wrong?" Haley asked, sounding like a little girl who had just been screamed at by her mother. Brooke's heart sank as she watched the vulnerability dance on Haley's face. She just didn't understand how someone as beautiful and smart and just plain incredible as Haley could possibly be so insecure.

"Of course not, baby," Brooke assured her, using all the strength she could muster up to hug Haley tightly against her. Haley relaxed at the words and the gesture, resting her head back down on Brooke's bare chest and closing her eyes, wrapping her arm loosing over Brooke's stomach. "I'm just having an incredibly hard time forming coherent thoughts let alone sentences. Just give me a moment to regain the feeling in my body and I'll tell you just how amazingly talented you are."

"Tigger," Haley giggled, blushing at the words. The most content smile came to her face at the reassurance and she began to trace shapes on the exposed skin on Brooke's stomach. Brooke laughed at her, marveling at the fact that Haley could be so dominating one minute and then blush at the smallest compliment the next. She was having a hard time believing that the girl from earlier was the same girl lying in her arms right now. "So, I was good, huh?" Haley couldn't help but ask, just to make sure.

"The best I've ever had," Brooke answered truthfully, the pleasure clear on her face. She honestly wasn't sure if it was the fact that she loved Haley more than anything that made what they shared so powerful, or if it was just because Haley was incredible in bed. Either way, Brooke couldn't believe that they had waiting this long to share something so beautiful.

"I better be," Haley teased playfully; strangely proud of what Brooke was saying. She never would have thought that it would mean so much to her, but knowing that she was good in bed, made her feel oddly confident.

"You sure you were a virgin?" Brooke asked, just for the sake of teasing her girlfriend. She heard an offended gasp come from Haley before the other girl turned her head to look up at her in shock at the mere insinuation. Brooke laughed and made a defensive face. "I mean, I've devirginized many a virgins, and I've got to tell you, none of them knew their way away a girl as well as you did."

"First of all, thank you," Haley replied, still making an offended face. "And second of all, I don't think devirginized is a word."

"Well then, Tutor Girl," Brooke began, tilting her head to the side to get a better look at Haley's adorable face. "What would you call it then?"

"Robbing virgins of their innocence," Haley stated without giving it a second thought at all. Brooke looked at her proudly, amused about the fact that it seemed Haley had thought a lot about this.

"I just robbed you of your innocence?" Brooke questioned with a pout. "But that was one of the things I loved so much about you."

"You didn't rob me," Haley reassured her, dropping a soft kiss on the skin that was under her lips. "I gave it to you. And I will always be innocent."

"You've just got that quality," Brooke agreed, wiggling her eyebrows for no reason but to make Haley laugh. Brooke loved the sound of Haley's laugh, it just seemed to make everything perfect, no matter what the problem was, that sound was just like music to her ears. "I've gotta say, Hales, you know how I've always said your lips are Heaven sent?"

"Uh huh."

"I think your tongue is too," Brooke answered in an amused, yet very serious tone. Haley's mouth dropped open in shock that Brooke would say something so vulgar right in front of her. "Not so innocent anymore, are you?" Brooke burst out into teasing laughter as Haley gasped and slapped her repeatedly. "Wow, Hales, I didn't know you liked it rough."

"Stop it," Haley whined, her face a record setting shade of red. Brooke smiled adoringly at her, not knowing that it was even possible to blush that much. "You're being mean."

"I'm sorry," Brooke mocked in the same whiney voice as Haley. She made the same the same pouty face that Haley was making, sticking out her bottom lip into an even bigger pout than Haley had. She made her infamous puppy dog eyes and leaned forward, and pressing her forehead against Haley's. "Do you forgive me?"

"I don't know," Haley answered as if she was really unsure about what she would do. She pulled back and looked at Brooke like she was trying to decide whether to forgive her or not and she was finding it really hard to keep a straight face when Brooke was looking at her like that. "You'll need to do something to make it up to me."

"Well," Brooke drew out, like it was a big problem. She pushed herself up and into a sitting position, forcing Haley to do the same. She brought her hand up to her chin in a mock thinking pose. Haley rolled her eyes, but played along. All of a sudden Brooke's eye lit up like two Christmas eyes and she jumped up without a second thought. "I have the perfect way to make it up to you."

"Where are you…" Haley began to ask, but trailed off as she watched Brooke giddily skip across her room in her bare feet, an extra bounce in her step. Haley couldn't help but enjoy the view as Brooke bent down to pick up the fallen bag that she had left by her door when she entered.

"I've got a present for you," Brooke exclaimed, with a giddy look in her eyes and smile on her face. Brooke made a mental note to thank Taylor a billion times the next time she saw her. Everyone thought that Tay was stupid, but at the moment, Brooke thought the blonde was probably one of the smartest people in the world.

"A present?"

"Yeah, Tay made me buy it at the mall," she explained. If she saw the disgusted look pass Haley's face at the mention of her big sister while they were in their current state and talking about the current subject, Brooke didn't show it.

"Okay, well give it to me," Haley demanded, her face lighting up. She turned her body around and knelt up, holding out her hands expectantly. "I love presents." The command only seemed to make Brooke's smile even bigger.

"I have to go change into it," she informed Haley, holding the bag up. Haley looked at her in confusion, not understanding what the present could possibly be. Brooke shook her head, not wanting to have to explain it to her adorably naïve girlfriend. "Be back in a sec." Without waiting for Haley to answer, Brooke let out a squeal and whipped the door open, skipping off to the bathroom.

"O-kay," Haley breathed out, completely unsure what the hell just happened. She didn't really care though; all she knew was that she had had sex, and the world didn't end, and there wasn't anything that could kill her buzz now. Rolling her eyes, she let out a content sigh, and fell back onto the bed to wait for her mistress to return.

**…WWHT…**

"Mhmm, Hales, we've already done it 5 times," Brooke mumbled in her sleep, slowly leaving the dream world behind as she returned to the real one.

The first thing that Brooke noticed was the sunlight hitting her face, forcing her to keep her eyes closed for the time being. The second thing she noticed was the fact that she wasn't just dreaming, that there was defiantly a naked body beside hers. And the third thing she noticed was the lips attached to said body, were currently working their magic on her neck.

"That tickles," she grumbled, not being able to think of anything else to say that early in the morning. She wasn't normally a morning person, but it seemed that lately, after she started spending the night in Haley's bed with her, she woke up in an almost chipper mood.

"I was wondering when you were gonna wake up," Haley commented, pulling away from Brooke's neck to give her a good morning kiss on the lips like they did every morning. "That dream sounded pretty hot. Dream Haley is quite the machine."

"You're telling me," Brooke moaned, attempting to laugh, but soon finding that it was too early in the morning for such advanced vocal activities. She turned her head to where she knew Haley was and risked a peek, and was happy to see that the sun wasn't going to blind her on this side. She opened both eyes and took in the sight of her girlfriend basking in her Morning After Glow. "Morning, Sexy."

"Morning, Beautiful," Haley replied with the same serene look on her face as Brooke had. She stretched forward and kissed Brooke again. Once they parted, Haley laid back down, flat on her back and stared up at Brooke, who had propped herself up on her elbow so she wasn't facing the sun at all and looking down at Haley. "So, um, when did you get that tattoo?"

"Oh, yeah," Brooke chuckled; surprised that Haley hadn't said something the moment she saw it last night. Must have been too wrapped up in everything to say something. Brooke was starting to think that Haley hadn't seen it. "That."

"When did you get it?" Haley asked, her hand absently moving down Brooke's stomach until her fingers landed on the tattoo that was on her pelvis. "How come you didn't tell me you got one when I showed you mine the other night?"

"I don't know," Brooke shrugged, watching Haley trace the outside of it. It wasn't anything too big or flashy; just a simple H surrounded by a heart. Not as original as Haley's, but it was the thought that counts. "I figured it would be a nice surprise for you. I got it a couple days after the dance." Haley smiled up at her; glad to know that Brooke had been so serious about all the amazing things she had said that night, even back then. That was even before their matching tattoo talk a few days later.

"I guess great minds think alike," Haley replied, unaware that Brooke had thought the exact same thing when she saw Haley's tattoo, just proving that statement to be even more true. Haley reached up to give Brooke yet another good morning kiss before snuggling back down into her side. They just laid in comfortable silence for a few moments, both lost in their own thoughts about tattoos and last night.

"So," Brooke began, moving her eyes to trail along the length of Haley's beautiful body. Soon, her eyes were back to Haley's face. "That was a first, huh?"

"I'll have to add it to the list," Haley said cheekily, making a checkmark in the air as if she was ticking something off. "Do you have any idea just how many firsts I've had with you?"

"Well, I can name one," Brooke smirked down at her, wiggling her eyebrows and licking her lips in a completely comedic manner as she poked Haley in the nose.

"Besides that, silly," Haley told her, trying to be serious, but she had to laugh at Brooke's behavior. Brooke could tell that she was trying to be serious, and toned down the funny, giving Haley her full attention. "You were the first person to hear me sing, you were my first real girlfriend… or boyfriend, you know what I mean. You're the first person I've ever been in love with, you're the first person I've ever brought home that Taylor actually liked, you're the first person to ever get in a fist fight over me, and not only were you the first person I've ever slept with, you're the first and only person I've ever even considered sleeping with."

"I'm that special, huh?" she asked, running her fingers along Haley's face, brushing back each individual strand of hair that had fallen out of place during the night. Brooke couldn't help but gloat. Hearing Haley go over all these things that they had only shared, it made Brooke feel so special and so loved. That feeling was so foreign to her; no guy in her life had ever treated her like that. Haley nodded and adverted her eyes for a moment, biting her bottom lip nervously. "What else, baby?"

"Well," Haley began, finally looking Brooke in the eyes. "You promise not to laugh at me?" Brooke gave her a ridiculous look, showing her that she couldn't believe that after everything, she thought she would actually be capable of doing something like that. "Okay, so we never really talked about this, mostly because I was a little embarrassed by it, but um, you were kinda my first kiss, too."

"What?"

"The night in the café," Haley explained, regretting this already. She knew she should have just kept her mouth shut. But for some reason, after what they shared last night, she had this urge to tell Brooke anything and everything about her. "When you kissed me, that was my first kiss."

"You're kidding me, right?" Brooke stared down at Haley in shock. There was no way what Haley was saying was true. She thought back to their first kiss, remembering it fondly, and just how damn hot it had been. She felt the same shiver run down her spine as she did that night and shook her head.

"I know, it's pathetic," Haley mumbled, silently cursing herself for saying anything. "I was almost 17 years old and I'd never kissed anyone…"

"No, that's not what I'm talking about," Brooke quickly cut her, not wanting her feel bad about something she shouldn't. "I just can't believe that was your first kiss. I mean, that was the best kiss I had ever had! And I've kissed a lot of people, and I mean, a lot! I couldn't stop thinking about our make out session for forever! You're the best kisser I've ever met. And it just blows my mind how it's even possible to be as good as you are without practice." Haley looked up at her in surprise, but clearly happy at her words. "Though, you certainly blew my mind last night, and that was supposedly your first time doing that."

"It was!" Haley exclaimed. Even though she knew that Brooke was just teasing her, she couldn't help the need she felt everytime to defend herself.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better," Brooke started to say. "This was a first for me too." Haley raised an eyebrow at her doubtfully and had to force herself not to burst out laughing at Brooke's comment.

"Tigger," Haley sighed, reaching up and patting Brooke's cheek. "We didn't exactly run in the same circle of friends, and I mean this in the most loving way possible, but I know you used to get around." Brooke faked a hurt gasp, but quickly gave it up when she realized that Haley wasn't going to play along.

"I don't mean it like that," she corrected, with a pointed glare. "You said something last night, and it really got me thinking, you know for that split second before you took your shirt off, then everything just kinda gets fuzzy." That earned her yet another smack in the arm.

"Get on with it, missy," Haley warned her.

"You said that you wanted to make love," Brooke explained quickly, not wanting to be abused any further. "And I realized that that's exactly what we'd be doing. It wouldn't be sex, you know? Yeah, I've had sex a bunch of times, but last night was the first time that I'd ever made love. Because you're the first person I've ever been in love with."

"Aw, Tigger," Haley gushed, pulling Brooke down to meet her lips in a sweet kiss for her sweet words. "That's so sweet. I love you, too." Brooke got in a couple of more kisses before pulling back again.

"This is also my first Morning After," she informed her with a proud grin. "I've never really stuck around long enough after the deed to have one. And I've gotta tell you, I could definitely get used to this."

"Well, you're gonna have too." Before Haley a chance to say anything more, the shrill ring of the telephone interrupted her. She groaned and rolled over to grab the phone off the nightstand, thankful that she had left it there last night, because she was defiantly not in the mood to walk anywhere at the moment.

"Aw, don't answer that," Brooke complained, not wanting to be interrupted. Haley send her a sympathetic smile and looked at the caller ID; Pey Pey.

"It's Peyton," Haley informed her and pressed talk. Brooke let out a sigh and flopped down on her back beside Haley in frustration. That damn blonde! She always seemed to weasel her way into every major event in their relationship lately. "Hey."

"Hey, baby sis," came the voice from the other end, a voice that certainly didn't belong to Peyton.

"Tay?" Haley questioned. Brooke's ears perked up at the name. Taylor was calling from Peyton's house at, she looked at the alarm clock and groan inwardly, 8 in the morning? Now this was interesting.

"The one and only," the blonde laughed on the other end. Haley could hear giggling also, and she was almost positive that was Peyton. "So, how did everything go last night? Am I interrupting some morning nookie or anything?"

"No and it was perfect," Haley sighed, flashing back to the night before and how amazing Brooke had made her feel. She was silent for a moment, glancing over at Brooke to find that she was watching her. They shared a smile; both thinking about the same thing, before Haley remembered that her big sister was on the line. "How did things go on your end?"

"Better than perfect," Taylor told her, leaving very little for her baby sister to figure out on her own. Haley was confused for a moment, before she remembered her conversation with Peyton the day before, and her eyes widened at the realization of what must of happened.

"Oh my God!" Haley squealed in excitement. Brooke jumped at the sound, almost falling out of the bed. Taylor pulled the phone away from her ear. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! Are you serious?" Brooke tried to snuggle against her so she could hear what the hell had gotten Haley so excited, but the other brunette, yanked the phone away and rolled away from her.

"Calm down there, Haley-bub," Taylor laughed, not believing that Haley was getting so worked up over this. She knew that they would be excited, but she never imagined this, at least not from Haley anyway. Brooke, maybe, but not Haley. "And yes, I'm serious, you're not 'Oh my God'ing for no reason. I followed your dear Brookie's advice and told Peyton everything. Then we did other stuff."

"That is so amazing!" Haley cheered, not being able to control herself. She too was surprised at just how excited she was. She was happy to hear Peyton confess her feelings to her yesterday, and although she had said she was going to think about it, Haley didn't really think her best friend would do it. Looks like she was more excited about this than she thought. "I want to hear everything, every little detail. Except for that last thing you said, I don't need to hear about that."

"Same goes for me, Hay," Taylor told her, assuming that she'd understand that she wanted the G-rated details only of Brooke and Haley's night as well. "Me and Pey were just gonna head over to Karen's and we thought we'd phone and see if you guys wanted to join us. That way we can break the news to Brooke that I'm off the market."

"I'll ask Tigger," Haley said into the phone before covering it and turning to her curious girlfriend. "Breakfast at the Café with Pey and Tay?" Haley asked her, smiling at the rhyming names. She wished her and Brooke had rhyming names. Brooke shrugged and nodded. Haley smiled and uncovered the phone. "Sure. Just give us about an hour. We still need to shower and stuff."

"Take one together," Taylor suggested in all seriousness. "It saves time and water. Not to mention that shower sex is the hottest."

"Ew, said the little sister," Haley replied, but made she to keep the suggestion in mind. Brooke couldn't help but smile at how cute Haley was. She wished she had an older sister or even a younger one. The two James sisters were just too cute for words when they were bantering. "We'll see you there about quarter after 9, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan," Taylor agreed, giggling as Peyton nibbled on her ear. "I, ah, I gotta go. Love ya, sis." Before Haley could ask anything else, the line went dead. Did Taylor just giggle? Taylor James had never giggled in her entire life.

"Love you, too," Haley mumbled, staring at the phone for a moment with a smile, just picturing what the two of them were doing right now, before pressing the End button and tossing the phone onto the pile of discarded clothes that had gathered on the floor.

"She really loves you, you know?" Brooke told her, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. Haley was surprised at the sudden words, and rolled over, back onto her back and turned her head so she was looking at Brooke.

"What?"

"Taylor," Brooke repeated. "She really loves you."

"Oh, yeah," Haley laughed slightly, surprised that she didn't understand the first time. "I know that."

"No, I don't think you do." Brooke shook her head and let her eyes wander around Haley's room for moment. "I don't think you know just how much Taylor loves you." Haley looked at her in confusion; not getting where she was going with this. "We were at the mall yesterday, and I guess since she knew what we were going to be doing later, she thought it was time to have the Big Sister talk with me. I could tell that she felt awkward, but she was determined to get it done. It was pretty cute, actually. Anyway, she said some pretty amazingly sweet things about how she feels about you. I knew you guys were closer than most sisters, I knew that she loved you, but I never would have guessed just how much."

"Not a lot of people get Taylor," Haley nodded. She was surprised at Brooke's words, but at the same time, she wasn't. After all, Taylor James had one of the biggest hearts Haley knew. "They're surprised at just how loving she can be. Nobody really knows the real Taylor, but me. I'm the only person she's even been herself around."

"Yeah, the things she said," Brooke agreed, smiling as she thought about what Taylor had said the day before. "They were pretty sweet. She said she loved you more than anything in the whole world, that you meant everything to her, that you were the one good thing in her life, the one thing she was proud of, and that she'd do anything to make you happy."

"Really?" Haley whispered, genuinely surprised that Taylor had said all those things. She never had a doubt that Taylor loved her, but she honestly didn't think that she meant that much to her older sister. She suddenly had to fight the urge to run all the way over to Peyton's house and break up whatever sex they were having, just to hug Taylor for dear life and never let her go.

"Well, there was a lot more," Brooke answered, glad that Haley was so affected by that. Even though Brooke hadn't said anything yesterday, some of the things Taylor had said bothered her. "And it was much more poetic and sweet coming from her, but that was the jest of it."

"I hope she knows that I love her just as much," Haley wondered out load. "I wouldn't have been able to survive the first 16 years of my life without her. She was pretty much my everything for most of my life. Until you." Brooke frowned at that part. That was the part she felt bed about.

"Don't say that," Brooke begged her. "Please don't say 'until you' like I'm coming between you and Tay, because that is absolutely the last thing that I want. She told me yesterday that she was stepping down as your protective big sister, that it was my job to protect you and make you happy now. You should have seen the look on her face, baby, I've never seen someone look so sad. It was like she thought that now that we were together, that you didn't need her anymore."

"That's ridiculous," Haley exclaimed, finding that very thought unbelievable. She remembered the look on Taylor's face on Sister's Day, when she had been joking around and told Taylor that she was going to ditch her for Brooke. Taylor had looked devastated and just thinking about it broke Haley's heart. "I'll always need Tay! She's my big sister! How could I not need her?"

"I think you should tell her that," Brooke suggested, feeling bad that she had made Haley feel bad. That was just about the last thing she wanted to do. "I see how cute you guys are together, and the last thing I want to do is come between you guys…"

"No, no, sweetie," Haley immediately stopped her. She scooter closer to her in the bed, and grabbed her hand, bringing it to her lips and kissing it softly. "If it's anyone's fault for making Taylor feel that way, it's mine. I'm the one that's been neglecting her and spending less time with her. It's not your fault I'm a horrible sister."

"Hey, hey," Brooke soothed, reaching forward and kissing Haley on the forehead. "You are not a horrible sister. You're the best sister, Taylor even said so. She said that she always tries to be the big sister you deserve because you're the perfect little sister."

"I've got some serious groveling to do," Haley concluded, wincing at Brooke's words. That didn't help, that just made her feel guiltier. "I hope you don't mind, but you probably won't be seeing me for the next few days as I feel that me and Tay are in some serious need of sisterly bonding time."

"I'll miss you, baby," Brooke answered. "But I don't mind. I actually encourage it. And, I'm sure me and Pey could use some time together too." Haley smiled and nodded, thinking that was a great idea. Brooke looked down at their intertwined fingers. "We kinda got caught up in each other, didn't we?"

"Maybe a little bit," Haley answered sadly. She had never wanted to be one of those girls that were completely obsessed and dependant on her boyfriend, but after being with Brooke, it was so hard to be apart from her. "And I don't think it's a bad thing that we love to spend so much time together, but I don't think it's too good for our other relationships. And I'm not just talking about Taylor; I can't remember the last time I hung out with Lucas. At least we've hung out with Peyton, you know."

"We'll make sure to spend more time with the other people we love," Brooke promised her. It sucked that she had let herself get so completely immersed in this relationship that she had neglected her other friends, but Haley was just so addictive, she could never seem to get enough of her.

"That sounds good," Haley agreed with a smile. She was so glad that her and Brooke always seemed to be on the same page about things like these. If she had been with anyone else, she couldn't imagine them being so understanding.

"Good," Brooke mumbled, distracted by Haley's lips. She didn't say anything more, just silently leaned forward, capturing Haley's lips in a reassuring kiss. She wanted Haley to know that they were still going to be just as strong as ever, it was just that other people would help hold them up too. Pretty much everyone knew about them now, there was no need to isolate themselves anymore; they were free to act like a couple when they were hanging out with their friends. Brooke smiled; she couldn't wait for their first complaint of PDA from someone that wasn't Peyton or Taylor. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too." Haley pulled away and glanced at the clock. They still had almost an hour before they had to get to the Café. Her eyes lit up, and a devilish smile came to her lips. "I think I have the perfect idea how we can spend the last little bit of our time together."

"Oh, yeah?" Brooke laughed, the amusement dancing in her voice. Haley nodded emphatically and grabbed her hand, pulling them both up and off the bed, neither bothering to grab covers. "And what's that?" Haley's giggles were the only answer she got as she was pulled down the hallway, before they abruptly came to a halt. Brooke steadied herself after crashing into Haley's back; causing some much welcomed friction between them, and peered over Haley's shoulder.

"What are we gonna do in the bathroom?"

**…WWHT…**

"Hales, could you at least wait until I stop the car?" Brooke called out to her girlfriend when they pulled up to the curb outside Karen's Café. I was no use though; Haley was already out of the car and half way through the door by the time the words were out of her mouth. Brooke sighed and turned off the car, unbuckling her seatbelt and slowly stepping out of the car.

Haley wasn't moving so slowly however. After some very hot shower sex with Brooke, she had started to become anxious again. She had finally just given up waiting, and demanded that Brooke drive her over to the Café. She had spotted both blondes already in the almost completely empty Café and Haley had jumped out of the car the minute it had started to slow down.

Haley needed to talk to her sister, and she needed to talk to her now. She couldn't deal with the guilt for any longer; she needed to knock some sense into Taylor right away. All eyes were on Haley as she practically ripped the front door off its hinges when she entered. Peyton and Taylor stopping their conversation in mid sentence at the noise and spun around in their stools to see what the hell was going on, only to find Haley barreling towards them.

"Tay!" Haley cheered, happiness overflowing inside of her at the sight of her big sister. Peyton immediately jumped off her stool and moved a couple of steps away from the older girl, not wanting to get hit by Hurricane Haley.

"Hay, what are you…" Taylor didn't have time to finish her sentence before Haley crashed into her, almost knocking her off the stool and landing them both on the floor. Taylor felt almost every bone in her upper body get crushed against Haley's, as Haley hugged her for dear life.

"Oh, God, Tay," Haley cried, as tears welled up in her eyes just thinking about how crummy she must have made Taylor feel over the past couple of weeks. That thought made her hug her big sister even tighter. "I'm so sorry, I'm so so so sorry."

The bell above the door rung as Brooke stepped inside and almost burst out laughing at the look of pure shock and confusion on Taylor's face as Haley held her to the point of suffocation. Seeing her best friend enter, Peyton quietly moved over to stand beside her, not tearing her eyes from the scene before her.

"What the hell has she been smoking?" Peyton whispered to Brooke. Brooke chuckled and shook her head.

"It's nothing like that," Brooke assured her, smiling at the adorable scene before her. "She's just feeling a little bit guilty."

"Guilty?" Peyton asked. Brooke nodded. "About what?"

"She thinks Taylor's been feeling a little bit neglected," Brooke informed her. She saw Peyton face soften and she immediately pulled the blonde into a hug. "I know that I've been really wrapped up in Haley lately, and we haven't really spent that much time alone together, not like we used to and I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Peyton sighed, happy to hear those words. She never would have said anything to anyone, not even Taylor, but she had been missing Brooke lately. She pulled out of the hug and smiled at Brooke. "I know you didn't mean it, new relationship and all. We'll have all summer to chill. We can go on double dates and everything."

"But then what's Taylor gonna do?" Brooke asked, not even thinking about what Peyton had said. Peyton gave her a pointed look, conveying everything she needed to with the shit eating grin on her face. Brooke's eyes widened like saucers as the realization finally hit her. "SHUT UP!"

Taylor could see Brooke scream something, but she couldn't quite hear it because she was pretty sure that Haley had popped her eardrums from the pressure of her hug. Okay, she couldn't breathe now.

"Haley-bub," she choked out, surprised at the high pitch of her voice. She sounded like she had just sucked up a balloon. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Hay." Nothing, she didn't even loosen her hold for a split second. "HALEY!"

"Oh," Haley squeaked, realizing that she might have been hugging her too tight. She pulled back and noticed the terrified look on Taylor face. She sniffled back the tears and smiled sheepishly at her. "Sorry."

"What the hell was that?"

"I need you!" Haley spit out, not being able to hold it in any longer. There was no time for explanations. "You're my big sister, of course I need you. I'll always need you! You have been looking out for me since the day I was born. Nobody ever loved me the way you did! You kicked Billy Davidson's ass when he broke up with me in 6th grade! Tay, you've been my hero since forever. Hell, my first word was Taylor!" Haley took a breath and continued. "It's been you and me against the world since the day I was born. I could of never asked for a better big sister than you. You mean everything to me, and that'll never change, no matter who comes in my life, I'll always love you and need you just like I did when Billy broke my heart."

"Haley-bub," Taylor whispered, her own tears making an appearance.

"I'm sorry if I haven't been around much lately," Haley continued, ignoring whatever Taylor was going to say. "I'm going to change. You and me are going to spend the next three days together, doing anything you want, I don't care. I'll even go bungee jumping with you like you wanted to last year, anything," she pleaded with Taylor, begging her for her forgiveness. "Just please don't stop being my big sister. And please don't think that I don't need you, because I do! I've never needed someone as much as I need you!"

"Oh, baby," Taylor cried, pulling Haley into her own bone-crushing hug. "I should have known that Brooke was going to open her big mouth." She sighed and pulled back so she could look into Haley's eyes as she said it. She reached up and wiped away the tears on Haley's cheeks. Haley would never know just how much she needed to hear all of that. "I will never, ever, stop being your big sister, I could never stop doing that. Hay, you're not just my baby sister, you're my best friend, you always have and always will be everything to me and I love you more than anything. I can't even begin to describe just how much I love you."

"Me too, I love you too." They shared another watery smile before falling back into each other's arms. They stayed that way for a few minutes, while Brooke and Peyton stood by, watching their girls with matching smiles. After they had time to compose themselves, their respective girlfriends came sauntering over.

"You two cry babies good?" Peyton asked, moving to Taylor's side and wrapping her arm around her waist. Taylor stuck her tongue out at her and nodded, resting her head on Peyton's shoulder. Peyton squeezed her and dropped a kiss on her head.

"Guess what, baby?" Brooke asked as she slipped onto the stool beside Taylor, and pulled Haley towards her, positioning her so she was standing between her legs, and wrapped her arms around Haley's waist from behind. Haley pressed her body into Brooke's, but still held Taylor's hand absently. Haley titled her head back to look up at Brooke.

"What?"

"It appears that your sister and my best friend finally hooked up last night." Brooke made a happy face, waiting for Haley to explode in surprise, but was disappointed when nothing came.

"Yeah, I know," Haley shrugged it off as if she hadn't freaked out herself when she found out about them. Brooke's mouth hung open, suddenly remembering Haley's little freak out when she had been on the phone with Taylor an hour ago. "Taylor let it slip when she called earlier."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Brooke grumbled, but soon got over it. She was just too happy to be with Haley and have Peyton and Taylor together finally. It was like everything was finally perfect in the world. "Well, you owe me ten bucks."

"Man, I was hoping you'd forget about that," Haley pouted. A thought entered her mind and she leaned up, whispering in Brooke's ear. Brooke's eyes widened at the words and she practically started to drool.

"Yeah, that should cover it," she choked out, finding it hard to think straight now. Suddenly, she couldn't wait until tonight. She licked her lips, making sure that Haley saw it, before they looked back up to meet Peyton and Taylor's disapproving stares.

"You guys bet on us?" Brooke and Haley shared a look then nodded their heads. "How could you do that?" Peyton asked, though she wasn't really mad. It was so something that Brooke would do after all.

"How could you be so sure we'd get together?" Taylor asked Brooke, since she was the one that apparently believed they'd hook up. Haley looked up at Brooke, curious to hear the answer to. Brooke shrugged and pulled Haley closer to her, dropping a soft kiss on her lips.

"Some people are just meant to be."

**…WWHT…**

Okay. That's all folks. I'm hoping that you all liked how everything ended, and weren't too disappointed that I didn't do anything graphic with the sex scene. While I do enjoy reading that kind of stuff, it wasn't right for this story. Plus, as you could probably tell, I'm not to good at writing that kind of smut.

Anyway, I hope you guys weren't mad at the extremely long length of this chapter, or the extra Peyton/Taylor I added it. I just thought that they deserved so time as well, and after all the subtle buildup, I really wanted to give them a pay off. Please tell me if you didn't like them, and I'll be sure not to put so much of them together in the sequel, when I finally write it, which will probably be set during their first year of college.

As I've said before, I already have the first chapter of the prequel all typed up, so let me know if you guys are still interested in it. I know you said you were before, but I wasn't sure know that the rough beginning of their relationship was revealed in this chapter, I didn't know if you'd all still be interested in reading it. Let me know please. If it's a yes, I'll have the first chapter up pretty soon.

I'd appreciate all the feedback I get, and I'm hoping you guys will give me some great reviews for this chapter because you have no idea how long I spent writing this. So please, if it's possible, give me more than a 3-word review. I'd really like to know what you liked most about this chapter, what you didn't, or what you thought of the ending over all.

Well, okay then. This is it. Thank you all so much for reading and always continuing to review, it means more than you know and I hope that you'll continue to follow these two as I take them on their next journey.

Until next time, later.


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